Abstract:
Thermal pollution is the degradation of water quality by any process that changes the ambient water temperature. A common cause of heat pollution is the use of water as a coolant by power plants and industrial manufacturers. When the water used as a coolant is returned to the natural environment at high temperatures, a sudden change in temperature reduces oxygen supply and affects ecosystem composition. Fish and other organisms are adapted to a particular temperature range and these sudden changes (either rapid increases or decreases) in water temperature can be referred to as "heatshocks". In absence of proper planning and design for existing and upcoming coastal structures, the natural marine life at the site gets endangered and consequences of such development can be severe and long lasting. Despite the need, relatively little guidance is available regarding thermal dispersion problems. Also, prior to the enactment of the Environmental Protection Act, 1986, environmental clearance was not mandatory for projects.
In this paper, an attempt has been made to understand the importance of mathematical modeling to study the problems of thermal dispersion from thermal and nuclear power plants. In coastal engineering problems, variables that actually meet the requirement of such a calculation are of a fairly complex nature. Coastal processes and related morphological evolution can be described mathematically by solving partial differential equations, which are formulated into variables such as velocity, pressure, and surface elevation. These equations are continuous in space and time. But in practice, these differential equations cannot be solved analytically. In its solution, numerical models provide an effective alternative. They can transform any general equation into a numerical algorithm. These equations are coded in the algorithm and used as an input for computer programs. Then computer programs give numerical solutions that are in conformity with exact continuous solutions. There are several advantages of the mathematical model. These are fast, reliable, inexpensive and powerful tools. Models help to analyze the given problem. They are also used to predict the effects of different solutions after performing various tests to arrive at the best optimal solution of the problem.
