Lakes/Reservoir Destratification Induced by Bubble Plumes

A numerical model that simulates the destratification of a lake/reservoir by an air bubble column/point diffuser is presented. In the numerical model, the lakeLreservoir is divided into a nearfield and a farfield. The nearfield model includes the bubble plume and the flow in its vicinity. The farfield model treats the rest of the lake and considers the flow from the plume toward the lake and from the lake toward the plume. The mixing model is combined with multilayer dynamic stratification models WESTEX and CE-QUAL-R1 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Waterways Experiment Station, to account for heat transfer through the water surface and other processes in the lake/reservoir during the mixing induced by the release of the air bubbles.