Quantifying the efficiency of a mono-port diffuser in the dispersion of brine discharges

The aim of this paper was to characterise the brine-plume dispersion throughout a series of oceanographic surveys that were carried out before and after the diffuser installation (2006-2011), and to quantify the effects of the diffuser on the behaviour and dilution rate of the effluent. The results of six years of operational monitoring were also compared with simulations predicted by a numerical mixing model simulation (CORMIX 1), obtaining high concordance with field data. After the diffuser installation, both field data results and model simulations showed a strong increase in the dilution rate of the brine plume, and a significant reduction in the size of the affected area.