Abstract
The intrusion of sea saltwater has destructive effects on freshwater resources as well as hydraulic structures. The first disastrous effect is reducing the volume of available freshwater storage and reducing available surface water quality. Various methods are used to prevent salinity intrusion into upstream river. One of the applied systems in reducing salinity intrusion in the mouth of rivers and especially in the shipping locks is the air bubbles curtain. For proper use of the air bubbles curtain system, it is necessary to determine the effect of different parameters on its performance. Therefore, in the present study, the effect of seawater density and air bubbles discharge on the performance of the air bubbles curtain was studied using a numerical model. The results show that the air bubbles curtain can prevent salinity intrusion by forming a vertical flow. Indeed, the air bubbles curtain's proper performance depends on the air bubbles discharge and the difference between saltwater and freshwater density. In other words, an increase in the density of seawater raises the salinity intrusion force and thus leads to the formation of a clockwise rotational flow upstream of the air bubbles curtain, which in turn intensifies the salinity intrusion into upstream of the air bubbles curtain and reduces the efficiency of the air bubbles curtain. Increasing air bubbles discharge culminates in preventing saltwater intrusion, although there is an optimal discharge that discharges greater than it has insignificant effects on air bubbles curtain performance.
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Talebi, A., Salehi Neyshabouri, S.A.A. & Khoshgou, H. Investigation on factors affecting the performance of the air bubble curtain in preventing the penetration of salinity. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 19, 10599–10612 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-022-04232-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-022-04232-6