Double-diffusive fluxes in a salt gradient solar pond

Journal Article · Mon Feb 01 04:00:00 EST 1988 · J. Sol. Energy Eng.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1115/1.3268231· OSTI ID:5202348

Atkinson, J F; Adams, E E; Harleman, D R.F.

The possible influence of double-diffusive stratification on the vertical transport of salt and heat in a mixed-layer simulation model for a salt gradient solar pond is examined. The study is concerned primarily with the interfacial fluxes across the boundary between the gradient zone and upper convecting zone of solar ponds, though the arguments presented should be applicable to other ''diffusive'' interfaces as well. In the absence of mechanical stirring in the upper convecting zone (e.g., by wind), double diffusive instabilities could govern the vertical flux of heat and salt by adjusting interfacial gradients of temperature and salinity which control transport by molecular diffusion. Because these gradients are generally too sharp to be resolved by numerical models, the fluxes can either be modeled directly or be parameterized by grid-dependent ''effective diffusivities.'' It is shown that when mechanical stirring is present in the mixed layer, double-diffusive instabilities will not be allowed to grow in the interfacial boundary layer region. Thus, double-diffusive fluxes become important only in the absence of stirring and, in effect, provide a lower bound to the fluxes that would be expected across the interface.

• Research Organization: Dept. of Civil Engineering, State Univ. of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14260 (US)
• OSTI ID: 5202348
• Journal Information: J. Sol. Energy Eng.; (United States), Journal Name: J. Sol. Energy Eng.; (United States) Vol. 110:1; ISSN JSEED
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
140700* -- Solar Thermal Power Systems
42 ENGINEERING
420400 -- Engineering-- Heat Transfer & Fluid Flow
BOUNDARY LAYERS
DIFFUSION
ENERGY TRANSFER
EQUIPMENT
HEAT FLUX
HEAT TRANSFER
LAYERS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
NUMERICAL SOLUTION
PONDS
SALINITY
SIMULATION
SOLAR COLLECTORS
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
SOLAR PONDS
STRATIFICATION
SURFACE WATERS
TEMPERATURE GRADIENTS
THERMAL DIFFUSION