Profiling and modelling of thermal changes in a large waste stabilisation pond

A thermal profiling study was undertaken at four depths at each of nine sites, and at the inlets and outlets of a large waste stabilisation pond (WSP). Results were collected simultaneously using a network of 42 thermistors and dataloggers. Profiles at each site were categorised as either "stratified" or "unstratified", and persistence analysis was used to determine the frequency and persistence of stratification events at each of the nine sites. Stratification was found to persist most strongly at the site furthest upwind in the WSP, with respect to prevailing wind during the study, leading to the conclusion that stratification induced short-circuiting will be greatest in this region of the WSP. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was constructed of the WSP, including an energy balance to predict the bulk stratification gradient in the pond. Environmental conditions and WSP inlet temperature during one day in June 2001 were used as boundary conditions. The pond thermal profiles measured during the profiling study, together with outlet temperature during the day, were used to validate the CFD model results. The model predicted mean pond temperature with a high degree of accuracy (r2 = 0.92). However it was evident that even modest winds (> or = 1.5 m/s) partially broke down stratification, leading to poor prediction of the gradient by the CFD model, which did not directly account for the impact of wind shear stress on mixing in the WSP.