Abstract :
Brine transparency is an important part of the maintenance of a salinity-gradient solar pond as it affects the amount of solar radiation
reaching the storage zone and hence has an influence on the thermal performance. There is a wide range of factors that can hinder the
transmission of light in a solar pond. Algal and microbial growths are the most common problems encountered in working solar ponds
and control of their densities is essential to maintain transparency. Two different chemical treatment methods for algae growth prevention
are described in this paper: chlorine and a novel chemical product – copper ethylamine complex. The latter method has never been
implemented previously in a working pond. This paper discusses the theory of the algae control methods used and presents the experimental
results of the chemical treatments. The results showed that Cupricide is more effective than chlorine and is therefore the recommended
chemical for algae control in solar ponds; it improves the water transparency especially in the upper convective zone and lower
convective zone with all measurement values less than 1 NTU. Chlorine was found to be more corrosive than Cupricide due to the acidic
effect it has on the pH. The preliminary cost analysis showed that granular chlorine is the cheapest chemical. A more detailed financial
analysis is nevertheless required to refine these costs.
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