Effect of water–air heat transfer on the spread of thermal pollution in rivers

Abstract

While working on practical problems related to the spread of thermal pollution in rivers, we face difficulties related to the collection of necessary data. However, we would like to predict the increase in water temperature at the best accuracy to forecast possible threats to the environment. What level of accuracy is necessary and which processes that influence the water temperature change have to be taken into account are usually problematic. Those problems, with special stress on water–air heat exchange in practical applications in the so-called mid-field region in rivers, which is very important for the environmental impact assessment, constitute the main subject of the present article. The article also summarises the existing knowledge and practice on water–air heat exchange calculations in practical applications.