Analysis of different hypotheses for modeling air–water exchange and temperature evolution in a tropical reservoir

Abstract

The present analysis shows that the most crucial parameter for a correct representation of the observed temperature behavior are the heat exchange coefficient and the wind. The different approaches tested all have limitations, but they can reproduce reservoir temperature trends at different depths with a maximum standard deviation ranging from 3 °C to 8 °C. HIGHLIGHTS Tropical reservoir's water temperature is strongly influenced by air–water heat exchanges, but the fast exchanges of temperature in tropical zones made traditional formulations of exchange coefficients to be insufficient.; The parameter that mainly affects the heat transfer and thermal stratification process is the transfer coefficient A and can be used as an approximation for estimating the exchange rate of the reservoir.;

Keywords

• 3d numerical model
• heat exchange
• thermal processes
• tropical reservoir
• water quality