Near-Field Mixing Characteristics of Submerged Effluent Discharges into Masan Bay

Hydrodynamic mixing characteristics of submerged effluent discharges into Masan Bay were investigated by both field observations and numerical model simulations. CORMIX model, a length-scale mixing model, was adopted to obtain the near-field dilution and wastefield characteristics of the effluent discharges into Masan Bay. Model predictions of the near-field dilution rates were in a good agreement with field observations in summer and winter seasons. Seasonal variations in the dilution rates showed that the highest dilution rate was obtained in winter while the lowest dilution rate was in summer. As the effluent discharges are increased with the treatment capacity expansion to be completed by 2011, the dilution rates are expected to be much reduced and the near-field stability of the wastefields will become unstable due to the increased effluent discharges.