MODELLING INGRESS MECHANISMS FOR POWER STATIONS ON THE SOUTHERN EAST COASTS OF SCOTLAND

This study aims to investigate the mechanisms of jellyfish and seaweed ingress that could cause problems to the smooth operations of power plants located on coastline when their cooling water inlets are exposed to these kinds of attacks. Ingress events may lead to clogging of the filters and result in a shutdown of the power plant. Jellyfish are presenting a particular problem with an increase in populations observed globally due to warmer coastal waters, over-fishing and pollution. The ingress mechanisms and conditions are still poorly understood and difficult to predict numerically. The ingress mechanisms are being investigated through numerical modelling of hydrodynamics around the east coast of Scotland near to Dunbar. Torness power station, located in the study area, has been subjected to jellyfish ingress resulting in a controlled temporary shutdown of the two power station units, at a considerable cost to the operators. This project aims to provide an understanding of ingress mechanisms by numerical modelling of the hydrodynamics and the assessment of the conditions that govern the transport of growth of the marine life.