Reaeration and oxygen dissipation into a circular hydraulic channel: experimental and dimensionless approach

ABSTRACT Dissolved oxygen (DO) is a key parameter in water quality. The DO concentration in a water body can be changed by interfacial phenomena such as reaeration and oxygen dissipation, which can be represented by the coefficients K2 and KD, respectively. Few studies have jointly correlated K2 and KD with physical and hydraulic parameters of the channel. The present work investigated the behavior of these coefficients over a range of hydraulic conditions, and developed semi-empirical equations capable of relating both coefficients. Reaeration and DO dissipation tests were conducted in a circular hydraulic channel with flow velocity ranging from 0.20 to 0.79 m.s-1 and depth ranging from 0.09 to 0.15 m. Estimates of K2 and KD were performed using the non-linear regression method. Semi-empirical equations were obtained based on classical dimensional analysis and multiple regression analysis. The comparison between measured and estimated coefficients yielded R2 for reaeration and dissipation of 0.940 and 0.844, respectively. KD was higher than K2 for all turbulence levels applied at the hydraulic channel. An estimate obtained by the relation between the semi-empirical equations indicates that the transfer of oxygen in the water-air direction (dissipation) is approximately twice as fast as the transfer in the air-water direction (reaeration).