Meteorological effects of the mechanical-draft cooling towers of the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant

Technical Report · Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1975

OSTI ID:4150820

Hanna, S R

The mechanical-draft cooling towers at the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant dissipate about 2000 MW of heat. Downwash occurs about 40 percent of the time, when wind speeds exceed about 3 m/sec. An elevated cloud forms about 10 percent of the time. The length of the visible plume, which is typically 100 or 200 m, is satisfactorily modeled if it is assumed that the plumes from all the cells in a cooling-tower bank combine. The calculation of fog concentration is complicated by the fact that the moisture is not inert but is taking part in the energy exchanges of a thermodynamic system. Calculations of drift deposition agree fairly well with observations. (auth)

• Research Organization: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Oak Ridge, Tenn. (USA). Atmospheric Turbulence and Diffusion Lab.
• NSA Number: NSA-33-007340
• OSTI ID: 4150820
• Report Number(s): ATDL--75/17
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

*ORGDP-- ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
*SURFACE AIR-- THERMODYNAMICS
*WASTE HEAT-- DIFFUSION
500400* --Environmental Sciences
Atmospheric--Thermal Effluents Monitoring & Transport
ATMOSPHERIC PRECIPITATIONS
COOLING TOWERS
ENVIRONMENT
GASEOUS DIFFUSION PROCESS
GASEOUS WASTES
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
METEOROLOGY
N44610* --Environmental & Earth Sciences--Thermal Effluents-- Atmosphere
PLUMES
THERMAL EFFLUENTS
TURBULENCE
VELOCITY
WIND