A model for the estimation of the mixing zone behind large sea vessels

One of the important tasks associated with reducing the concentration of contaminants in the sea surface layer is the determination of their mixing volume, as of the most active systems for mixing the sea surface layer are sea vessels. The wake of a ship is a highly mixed medium. The study of the wake development over time is important when evaluating the mixing of various pollutants in the wake with neutralizing chemicals. As shown in some previous works, in the wake of a vessel that crosses a contaminated surface, the concentration of harmful impurities decreases to background values; however, the problem of determining the volumetric characteristics of this wake remains. In our work, we propose a relatively simple model for assessing the characteristics of a turbulent wake in the near zone behind a vessel. Based on the actual parameters of the vessels, the parameter F = (penetration depth) / (draft) was calculated, which characterizes the potential mixing effects caused by turbulence in the wake. The proposed simple model can be used, for example, to assess the mixing of oil when it is being bottled, with chemicals, to assess possible scenarios of increasing its dilution.