Turbulent acidic jets and plumes injected into an alkaline environment

Abstract

Abstract The characteristics of an acidic turbulent jet and plume injected into an alkaline environment are examined theoretically and experimentally. Fluid-flow and chemistry models are combined to understand how the concentration of acid in a parcel of fluid changes as it reacts with alkaline fluid entrained from the ambient. The resulting model is tested in an experimental study in which nitric acid jets or plumes are injected into a large tank containing a variety of alkaline substances. A video camera records a pH-sensitive dye in the jet or plume, which changes colour with variations in the pH. The results were time averaged and processed to measure distance from the source to the point of neutralization. The agreement between predictions and observations of neutralization distances is good, confirming that the model captures the salient physics of the problem. Using empirically determined titration curves, a combined fluid flow and chemistry model is applied to discuss the environmental implications of a warm acidic turbulent plume injected into an alkaline river or sea. © 2013 Cambridge University Press.