The free jet as a means to improve water quality: Destratification and oxygen enrichment

Rivers, lakes, and coastal waters are chaotic systems — physical, chemical, and biological parameters influence their development. Each parameter itself is influenced by the system. Human interaction has led to fast eutrophication. Oxygen input and artificial mixing have been considered as tools to overcome the biggest problems of fish kills, algal blooms, and bad odour. The favoured technology for destratification and oxygen input so far is the bubble curtain. This technology has been applied successfully in several cases. But often, this technology could not be implemented because of high investment and operating costs.

Alternatively, the free jet is discussed as an efficient and low investment and operating cost technology. The free jet may transport oxygen-rich water from the surface down into the hypolimnion, thereby destratifying a water system. A free jet entrains on its way down even more oxygen rich and warm epilimnic water. This water will finally — if some mixing with the cold hypolimnic water occurs — be transferred to the metalimnion. The density differences will make this water travel long distances.

The energy input may be very low and the objective must not be to totally overturn a system. A jet started in early spring may help a lake to have a deep enough epilimnion, relatively large in volume in respect to the hypolimnion, and the normal wind will recirculate the water transferring enough oxygen to the deeper part, thus expanding the fish habitat and enabling benthic fauna. Literature also shows that the occurrence of massive algal blooms may be reduced.

The oxygen efficiency can be multifold compared to standard technologies.