Evaluation of Reaeration by Convective Heat Transfer Coefficient

Abstract

The reaeration-rate coefficient (K2) is an essential parameter in water quality simulation because it aids predicting the water’s ability to assimilate organic pollutants. Several methods have been used to determine K2, but some of them are too expensive and others are not always accurate. A new method is presented in this paper, in which K2 can be estimated using the convective heat transfer coefficient (h), which is obtained from a solid metal during cooling in a jet-agitated tank. The results show a very good correlation (r>0.98) between K2 and h. This method is promising because of its simplicity and low cost. This new method took a short period of time to achieve its results and used simple materials. Other methods for determining reaeration-rate coefficients usually take more time and require more sophisticated materials than the proposed method.