Validation of a 3D numerical model of a buoyant plume

In order to model cooling water plumes from power station into a tidal current a three dimensional unsteady model is required. This is because the complicated interaction of current oscillation with plume buoyancy produces plume shapes which are continually changing with time. This report details the comparison of such a 3D unsteady numerical model, the HEATFLOW-3D model from the HR TIDEWAY suite, with site data for a particular power station. The plume studies is that from the Hinkley Point power station on the Severn Estuary where a great deal of thermal data has been collected.