Spreading of brine waste discharges into the Gulf of Oman Original Research Article

The effect of a tidally oscillating flow in dispersing brine waste discharge into the sea is investigated using a two-dimensional advection-diffusion equation. As a seawater desalination plant is continuously disposing of brines at a constant rate, unacceptably high salinity in coastal water on both sides of the outfall are created due to the flow reversals. It is found that by building a longer outfall, such potential environmental impacts may be reduced. Other discharge strategies that minimize the salt concentration levels at the beach are discussed.