A New Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) Model for the Estimation of Effluent Dispersion In Rivers Sections

This work presents a new three-dimensional model for the prediction of the dispersion of effluents in rivers with the use of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) techniques. Even though several models based on CFD have already been reported in the literature (some of them analyzing complex flows), they are restricted to small river sections, since CFD commercial software demand large computational resources for problems of that kind. The main contribution of this work is that it proposes a new model which is able to predict the dispersion of effluents in several kilometers long channels using CFD. The model is very fast, what is an unusual feature for CFD models. The model is capable of predicting multiple emissions on the same river section, what makes it an important tool to analyze and guide management decisions on future industrial installations in river regions already receiving many discharges. Results for the dispersion of an inert emission in a river near Campinas, Brazil, were used for the model validation.