A Numerical Model of Moist Plume Thermodynamics

Abstract

Evaporative cooling towers and cooling ponds are in ever-increasing use for the dissipation of waste heat. The modeling of moist plumes from these facilities has received considerable attention in recent years. The simulation of plume thermodynamics is a necessary part of the modeling of a moist plume. This paper describes an algorithm which, when supplied with the ambient atmospheric distribution of various thermodynamic properties, performs the necessary psychrometric calculations to simulate the thermodynamics within the moist plume. A unique feature of this algorithm is the modeling of the condensation of “excess” water vapor, which simulates the formation and deposition of water droplets from the moist plume.