Purging of density stabilized basins

Abstract

A combined laboratory and numerical investigation of the purging of density stabilized basins has been undertaken. The laboratory investigation was carried out in a flume into which a false floor containing a cavity filled with dense fluid was set. The fluid in the cavity was then set into motion and ultimately purged by a fresh water overflow. The experiment was simulated numerically by a direct finite volume solution of the Navier-Stokes equations plus solute transport equation using the Boussinesq buoyancy approximation. The experimental results have been used to validate the numerical method, and a number of flow features have been identified. These include a large amplitude internal wave, a travelling wave and a vortex structure in the cavity. All these features contribute to the efflux of dense fluid from the cavity.