Use of remote sensing data to enhance the performance of a hydrodynamic simulation of a partially frozen power plant cooling lake

May V. Arsenovic; Carl Salvaggio; Alfred J. Garrett; Brent D. Bartlett; Jason W. Faulring; Robert L. Kremens; Philip S. Salvaggio

doi:10.1117/12.818956

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22 April 2009 Use of remote sensing data to enhance the performance of a hydrodynamic simulation of a partially frozen power plant cooling lake

May V. Arsenovic, Carl Salvaggio, Alfred J. Garrett, Brent D. Bartlett, Jason W. Faulring, Robert L. Kremens, Philip S. Salvaggio

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Proceedings Volume 7299, Thermosense XXXI; 72990B (2009) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.818956
Event: SPIE Defense, Security, and Sensing, 2009, Orlando, Florida, United States

Abstract

The effectiveness of a power generation site's cooling pond has a significant impact on the overall efficiency of a power plant. The ability to monitor a cooling pond using thermal remote sensing, coupled with hydrodynamic models, is a valuable tool for determining the driving characteristics of a cooling system. However, the thermodynamic analysis of a cooling lake can become significantly more complex when a power generation site is located in a northern climate. The heated effluent from a power plant entering a cooling lake is often not enough to keep a lake from freezing during winter months. Once the lake is partially or fully frozen, the predictive capabilities of the hydrodynamic model are weakened due to an insulating surface layer of ice and snow. Thermal imagery of a cooling pond was collected over a period of approximately 16 weeks in tandem with high-density thermal measurements both in open water and embedded in ice, meteorological data, and snow layer characterization data. The proposed research presents a method to employ thermal imagery to improve the performance of a 3-D hydrodynamic model of a power plant cooling pond in the presence of ice and snow.

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May V. Arsenovic, Carl Salvaggio, Alfred J. Garrett, Brent D. Bartlett, Jason W. Faulring, Robert L. Kremens, and Philip S. Salvaggio "Use of remote sensing data to enhance the performance of a hydrodynamic simulation of a partially frozen power plant cooling lake", Proc. SPIE 7299, Thermosense XXXI, 72990B (22 April 2009); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.818956

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