COMPUTATIONAL MODEL OF TEMPERATURES IN A COVERED WATER BODY RESPONDING TO SOLAR INSOLATION

摘要

Recent and recurring drought periods in Texas have emphasized the need for additional fresh water resources and the conservation of existing supplies. Copious quantities of brines containing relatively low concentrations of dissolved salts are available in Texas, readily amenable to reverse osmosis (RO) for the production of fresh water. High salinity water resources are normally not targeted for RO because of the cost and the abundance of less saline waters. Occasionally artificial lakes are created for the purpose of impounding naturally occurring low salinity water flows. These inland saline reservoirs are ideal targets for desalination with RO, but release of concentrated effluent as a byproduct of RO into downstream flow channels defeats the purpose of such lakes. Evaporation and condensation of water from these lakes requires complex control of the process in order to hold unit production costs to a minimum while avoiding effluent releases. Computer programs are applied to climatic analysis that can illuminate natural processes of renewal for natural resources, however few applications focus on large scale water recovery from air saturated with water vapor. This paper presents data and analysis that will allow engineers to improve the performance and design of water recovery systems from saline water reservoirs by examining graphical results representing the variation of water temperature as a function of time and depth below the water surface of a covered water body during diurnal cycles.