The amount of heat a cooling pond can dissipate depends on several factors, including its surface area, water depth, local climate, and how the water is circulated. On average, a well-designed cooling pond can dissipate about 1,000 to 2,000 British thermal units (BTUs) per square foot of surface area per hour under typical conditions. This means that a large pond covering hundreds of acres can remove hundreds of millions of BTUs every hour.
The key to this process is evaporation, which carries heat away as water turns into vapor, and convection, where cooler air draws heat from the water’s surface. Wind speed, air temperature, and humidity all influence how efficiently the pond can cool the water. Engineers use these variables to calculate the exact size and design needed to handle the heat load of a specific power plant. If the pond is too small or poorly designed, it won’t be able to cool the water quickly enough, which can reduce plant efficiency or even violate environmental discharge limits.
