A remote-sensing experiment conducted on May 17, 1977, over the Surry nuclear power station on the James River, Virginia is discussed. Isotherms of the thermal plume from the power station were derived from remotely sensed data and compared with in situ water temperature measurements provided by the Virginia Electric and Power Company, VEPCO. The results of this study were also qualitatively compared with those from other previous studies under comparable conditions of the power station's operation and the ambient flow. These studies included hydraulic model predictions carried out by Pritchard and Carpenter and a 5-year in situ monitoring program based on boat surveys

Kuo, C. Y.

Talay, T. A.

English

NASA Technical Reports Server

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NASA Technical Memorandum 80125 
NASA-TM-8012S 19790020624 
REMOTE MONITORING OF A THERMAL PLUME 
c. Y. Kuo and T. A. Talay 
July 1979 
NI\S/\ 
National Aeronautics and 
Space Administration 
langley Research Center 
Hampton, Vi rginia 23665 
l lBR Y COpy 
AU6 i~ig 
!.ANGLEY RESEARCH CENTER 
LIBRARY, NASA -
HAMeT.O~1. .VJBGfliflJ.' 
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https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19790020624 2020-03-21T22:26:41+00:00Z
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REMOTE MONITORING OF A THERMAL PLUME 
By Chin Y. Kuo,l A.M. ASCE and Theodore A. Talay2 
INTRODUCTION 
NASA is investigating the potential uses of remote sensing in mon-
itoring industrial ocean dumps, sediment plumes, and thermal discharges 
in the water environment. Aircraft-borne multispectral scanners and 
photographic systems have provided synoptic coverages of such discharges 
entering rivers, estuaries, and coastal zone waters. Repetitive over-
flights with such sensors, especially in tidally dominated, unsteady 
flow situations, yield temporal distributions that provide an insight 
into the discharge dynamics. Comparison of sequential coverages 'of the 
same area may show the surface temporal response of the discharge to 
stresses in the environment and provide public officials a monitoring 
capability without the need of large surface surveys. 
This paper discusses a remote-sensing experiment conducted on May 17, 
1977, over the Surry nuclear power station on the James River, Virginia. 
Isotherms of the thermal plume from the power station were derived from 
remotely sensed data and compared with in situ water temperature measure-
ments provided by the Virginia Electric and Power Company, VEPCO. The 
results of this study were also qualitatively compared with those from 
other previous studies under comparable conditions of the power station's 
operation and the ambient flow. These studies included the hydraulic model 
prediction carried out by Pritchard and Carpenter for VEPCO (1) and the 
5-year in situ monitoring program based on boat surveys conducted by the 
Virginia Institute of Marine Science, VIMS (2). 
EXPERIMENT 
On May 17, 1977, a remote sensing experiment was 'conducted by NASA 
Langley Research Center, on the James River, Virginia, as a cooperative 
effort involving NASA, the Virginia State \-J'ater Control Board, the U.S. 
Army Corps of Engineers, and Old Dominion University. The main aircraft 
used was a P3-A, four-engine, low wing type staged from the Langley Re-
search Center, Hampton, Virginia. Onboard the aircraft was an ll-band 
multispectral scanner, including a thermal band, and a Zeiss aerial map-
ping camera. The area overflown ranged from Newport ' News to Hopewell, 
Virgirtia, and included the Surry nuclear power station near Hog Island, 
Virginia (f.ig. 1). Sixteen overflights of the Surry thermal discharge 
were made at 3300 m altitude starting at 2.0 hours after low tide to 
lAssociate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Virginia Poly-
technic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061 
2Aerospace Technologist, Marine Environments Branch, Langley Research 
Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Hampton, Vir-
ginia 23665 
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0.9 hour before the following low tide at Hog Island. A considerable 
portion of one tidal cycle was, thus, observed in these overflights. 
Six of these ove,rflights were chosen for use in the present study. Two 
isotherm maps are included in this paper. 
TEST CONDITIONS 
The sky conditions on May 17, 1977, were generally clear with scat-
tered high stratus clouds above 3300 m and a few scattered low cumulus 
clouds over land areas. A moderate haze was present and air tempera-
tures rose to about 300 C by late afternoon. Winds were very light (less 
than 2-3 m/sec) and variable with a westerly direction for the morning 
overflights and a general northeast direction for the afternoon over-
flights. 
Very low riverflow conditions existed for the James River on May l~ 
The combined flow from the James and Appomattox Rivers at Hopewell was 
96 CMS compared to an annual average of 255 CMS (3). 
Tides and currents have a marked effect on thermal plume dynamics. 
On the day of the experiment, high tide was 0.58 m above the mean low 
water, and the maximum ebb and flood currents were 70 em/sec and 40 em/ 
sec, respectively. In general, the times of high and low tides do not 
correspond to the times of high or low slack water. 
The bathymetry of the region of Hog Island influences the resultant 
flow field. Figure 2 shows the bathymetry in 1.83 m contour intervals. 
Features include a gently sloping plain area to the west, or upstream, 
of Hog Island which terminates at a main shipping channel represented 
by the dashed lines. Near Hog Point, the channel divides with a shallow 
channel close to Hog Island and a deeper shipping channel further north. 
These channel features continue downstream of Hog Island. 
ANALYSIS 
In a previous report (4), the influence of tides and riverflow on 
the near-field discharge dynamics of the Surry thermal plume was dis-
cussed based on a set of infrared aerial photographs taken on the day 
of the experiment. In this paper, thermal mappings for the entire flow 
field are presented. The dynamics of the plume are related to tidal, 
river flow , and bathymetric features. 
In the thermal band, the multispectral scanner senses radiation in 
the 7,900 - 11,600 manometer wavelength range. Radiance data are recorded 
on a line-by-line })as1s . perpendicular to the flight track. Ea·ch 
of the 800 elements or pixels comprising a line of data represents a 
ground area of 8 m by 8 m. This also represents the resolution of the 
scanner at 3300 m altitude. The radiance data were related to tempera-
tures by statistical linear regression analysis using both onboard 
scanner calibration values and in-situ temperature data taken by boats 
in the James River on the day of the experiment. The resultant linear 
regression equations were then utilized to convert the scene-wide radi~ 
ance field into a thermal map, one map for each of the six overflights 
of the Hog Island area. The mappings were coded to show IOC increments 
of temperature in different colors (or symbol tone shadings for this 
report). Areas away from the thermal plume were arbitrarily classified 
as ambient James River waters. The plume waters then appear as excess 
temperatures in laC increments. 
Table I shows the comparison between the results acquired from the 
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remote-sensing experiment and from the in situ measurements provided by 
VEPCO. The comparison was for four locations, intake, discharge point, 
Tower C near the Hog Point, and Tower B near the discharge canal (refer 
to fig. 2). The comparison was considered to be fair to good. Remotely 
sensed data for Tower C were consistently lower than the in situ 
aata. The reasons are not well known. This could be attributed to the 
significant vertical the~~al gradient since the in situ sensor was 
placed one meter below the water surface and the remote sensing data 
referred to water surface temperature. It could be also due to the com-
plexity of the bathymetry, flow pattern, and . mi~ing processes involving 
two water bodies of different temperature and salinity. 
For the 9 a.m. (e.d.t.) overflight, figure 3 shows the thermal con-
ditions near low slack water as evidenced by the undeflected jet from 
the discharge canal entering the James River. The main body of the 
thermal plume is seen to extend from the discharge point to an area well 
downstream of Hog Point. Except for small pools near the discharge, the 
temperature excess for the plume does not exceed 2oC. The plume follows 
the nearshore areas of the upriver side of Hog Island with warmer waters 
nearer the shore. Near Hog Point, the plume enters the shallow channel 
area previously described and is seen to follow this basic channel fea-
ture downriver until it disappears into the ambient waters. This iso-
therm map was qualitatively compared with the in situ survey made by 
VIMS on August 22, 1975 (fig. 4) and the results of the hydraulic 
model study (fig. 5). Both comparisons were under comparable con-
ditions in terms of plant operation, river flow"and tidal hour. The 
comparisons were favorable for the dynamic behavior and spreading of the 
plume. Figure 5 shows the results of hydraulic model study with river 
flow at Richmond of 57 CMS and 170 eMS, respectively, which brackets the 
80 CMS (at Richmond) on the day of the remote sensing experiment. The 
hydraulic model study showed higher excessive temperatures in the plume 
than those data from the remotely sensed and in situ surveys. Distor-
tion effects of the hydraulic model had strong influence on the initial 
dilution and mixing of the thermal plume near the discharge point. 
At 3 p.m. (e.d.t.), an ebb condition existed as evidenced by the 
downriver deflection of the discharge jet (fig. 6). Warm waters are 
seen to be present downriver of Hog Point. It is not known whether the 
expanse of warm waters northeast of Hog Point near the corner of the map 
represents part of the Surry plume that has entered the main shipping 
channel, or represents warm waters derived from solar heating over shal-
low water areas. The solar heating effect is evidenced by the warm 
temperatures outlining Hog Island. The comparison between this isotherm 
map with the in situ survey of August · 6, 1975 (fig.7) was again quite 
favorable in terms of plume trajectory in the near field, temperature 
distribution upstream and downstream-of the discharge canal. 
CONCLUDING REMARKS 
Remote sensing of thermal discharges provides both synoptic and 
temporal coverages not readily available by other means. The quantita-
tive thermal mappings of the Surry nuclear power station discharge, 
clearly demonstrate the dynamical nature of the plume as it responds to 
the combined riverflow--tidal conditions. Bathymetric features also 
control the fate of thermal waters. For the cases presented, excess 
temperatures in the plume waters did not exceed 20 e for the most part~ 
but were traceable over a considerable expanse. Comparison among the 
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' : :' . ~ • • • ,1 .; .... "" -: . - •• ".".. ... •• ~., • 
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HOG ISLAND 
o SURRY POWER STATION 
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FIGft 3. - $tmy NOClEAR POolER STATI~ Tm<MAL pl1t£ -r1o\y VI WJ- 9 A.M. E.D.T. 
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Figure 4. - In-situ survey by VIMS 
Low slack water, 1975 
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FIGlRE 5. - HYMAU.I C ~'(JiJEL STUDIES 
FOR VC:PCO 
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Figure 7 . 
- In-sit E u surve b 
ar1y ebb y y VIMS 
. _ ' 1975 
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isotherm maps derived from remote sensing, hydraulic model prediction, 
and in situ surveys under comparable conditions was favorable. 
REFERENCES 
1. Pritchard-Carpenter, Consultants: "Temperature Distribution in the 
James River Estuary which will Result from the Discharge of Waste 
Heat from the Surry Nuclear Power Station. 11 A report prepared for 
Virginia Electric and Power Company, 1967. 
2. Fang, C. S., and PB.rker, G: S.: "Thermal Effects of the Surry Nuclear 
Power Plant on the James River, Virginia, Part VI Results of Moni-
toring Physical Parameters. " Special Report 109, Virginia Institute 
of Marine Science, May 1976. 
3. Whitlock, C. H., and Talay, T. A.: "Remote Sensing Observations of 
Industrial Plumes at Hopewell,Virginia~" Presented at the EPA Kepone 
Seminar-II, Easton, Maryland, September 20· and 21, 1977. 
4. Talay, T. A.,-Sykes, · K. W., and Kuo, C. Y.: .. IIRemoteMonitoring of the 
Gravelly Run Thermal Plume at Hopewell and the Thermal Plume at the 
Surry Nuclear Power Plant on the James River. If Presented at the Vir-
ginia Academy of Science 56th Annual Meeting, Virginia Polytechnic 
Institute and State University. Blacksburg, Virginia, May 9-12,197& 
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 
The authors thank Dr. Morris L. Brehmer of the Virginia Electric 
and Power Company for supplying data on in situ temperature measuremen~ 
and plant operation, and a copy of the report by Pritchard and Carpen-
ter. 
T.ble 1. Comparison of Remote Sensing Experiment and VEPCO 
In Situ Measurements 
(Temperatures °C) 
Dhcharge Pt. "AU Tower "B" Tower 'te" Intake tin" 
Ti_ VEPCO NASA VEPCO NASA VEPCO NASA VEPCO NASA 
9 •••• 27.3 >24 20.9 <21 24.6 22-23 19.7 <21 
10 •••• 27.5 >24 20.8 <21 24.3 21-22 20.4 <21 
11 •••. 27.6 24-25 22.1 22-23 23. 8 22-23 21.4 <22 
3 p ••. 29.1 25-26 25.3 23-24 24.8 <23 22.3 <23 
4 p ••• 29.6 26-27 24.9 24-25 24.9 <24 23.4 <24 
, p ••• ~.2 >27 23.2 24- 25 24.8 <24 23.7 <24 
(.u tiE e.d.t . ) 
8 
--~ - -~------------ -._-_._--------
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r--------~-- ------ ------ - ------~-------~ 
, ' 
I 2. Government Accession No. 3. Reci pient's Catalog No. 1. Report No. 
NASA TM-80125 
4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Oa te 
July 1979 
Remote Monitoring of a Thermal Plume 6. Perform ing Organization Code 
7. Author(s) 8. Performing OrganlzatioA Report No. 
C. Y. Kuo* and T. A. Talay 
~----------------------------i 10. Work Unit No. 
9. Performing Organization Name and Address 
Langley Research Center 
Hampton, VA 23665 
12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address 
National Aeronautics and Space Administration 
Washington, DC 20546 
146-20-19-05 
11 . Contract or Grant No . 
13. Type of Report and Period Covered 
Technical Memorandum 
14. Army Project No. 
15. Supplementary Notes *Associate Professor, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic 
Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061 
Presented at the American Society of Civil Engineers, Hydraulics/Energy Divisions 
~~C~o~nference San Francisco CaliforniA AlJolJc;t R-ll 1979 
16. Abstract 
A remote ... sensing experiment conducted on r~ay 17,1977, over the Surry nuclear power 
station on the James River, Virginia is discussed. Isotherms of the thermal plume 
from the power station were derived from remotely sensed data and compared with in 
situ water temperature measurements provided by the Virginia Electric and, Power 
Company, VEPCO. The results of this study were also qualitatively compared with 
those from other previous studies under comparable conditions of the power station's 
operation and the ambient flow. These studies included hydraulic model predictions 
carried out by Pritchard and Carpenter forVEPCO and a 5-year in situ monitoring 
program based on boat surveys conducted by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, 
Vrr'<1s. 
17. Key Words (Su9aested by Author(s)) 
Thermal POllution, Water 
Remote Sensors 
Hydraulic Models 
19. Secur ity Classif. (of this report) 
Unclassified 
18. Distribution Statement 
Pollution 
20. Security Classi!' (of this page) 
UnClassified 
Unclassified-Unlimited 
Subject Category 45 
21. No. of Pages 22. Price" 
8 $4.00 
• For sale by the National Technical I nformation Service, Springfield , Virginia 22161 
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Remote monitoring of a thermal plume

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