The appropriate operation of a power plant requires the rapid cooling of water steam and consequently large amounts of water. It has led to the construction of power plants on large rivers or near lakes. Barrages and channels had to be built in some places to deliver water for cooling. The threat of warming water and its impacts rives and lakes was considered. Consequently, studies on the effects of warm water on aqueous systems were necessary. The author presents results of such studies using Rybnicki Reservoir in Ruda (Silesia) as an example.
Any natural object with a temperature higher than the absolute zero is a source of infrared radiation. Thermovision (infrared mapping) is applied to detect, record, process and image this radiation. This technique is used, among others, in the industry, power and construction sectors, military applications and scientific research. It is also used for the determination of the surface water temperature distribution in artificially heated bodies of water. The authors discuss this technique using the example of five Konin lakes whose chain is incorporated into the cooling system of the Pątnów and Konin power plants.