AIR POLLUTION

CONCENTRATION
MODELS
1
Air pollution concentration models
Allows prediction of concentration from a
specific set of pollutant emissions
For any specified meteorological conditions
At any locations
For any time period
There are may types of models from simple to
complex. But all models are not ideal.

2
BOX MODELS
Conservation of mass principle applied to relatively large
scale systems such as an urban airshed

INPUT - OUTPUT + GENERATION - CONSUMPTION = ACCUMULATION

Steady state rarely of interest, we are usually interested
in modelling, explaining, predicting, preventing severe
air pollution episodes of a transient nature
Wind, emission, and ambient monitoring data required
for meaningful modelling work
Fixed-Box Model
Simple box model of a rectangular city.
8 assumptions (see text book)
SIMPLE FIXED-BOX MODEL OF A CITY
box leaving air in ion concentrat pollutant =
speed wind =
height mixing =
wind of direction in box of length =
source) (area city in the area unit per
rate emission mass pollutant =
air entering in ion concentrat pollutant " background " =
6.7) eqn (
c
u
H
L
q
b
uH
qL
b c + =
Example 6.1 (page 122)
A city has the following description: W = 5 km, L = 15
km, H = 1000 m. The wind velocity u = 3 m/s (at
direction L) , the background concentration of CO is b =
5 g/m
3
. The emission rate per unit area q = 4 10
-6
g/sm
2
. Determine the CO concentration over the city.
6
uH
qL
b c + =
Directly substitute into
the equation 6.7;
3
m
g
25 20 5
1000 3
15000 4
5

= + =

+ = c
Example 6.2 (page 123)
For the city in Example 6.1, the meteorological
conditions (u = 3 m/s, H = 1000 m) occur 40% of the
time. For the remaining 60%, the wind blows at right
angles (in W direction) at velocity 6 m/svand at the
same mixing height. What is the annual average
concentration of CO in this city?
7
Find the concentration at 60% of the time:
3
m
g
33 . 8 33 . 3 5
1000 6
5000 4
5

= + =

+ = c
Sum up the values from previous example:
Annual average concentration = 25(0.4) + 8.33(0.6) = 15 g/m
3
To apply this eqn to find situation in which highest
conc occur., we need to know the worst case for all
the parameters (wind speed, mixing height, etc. )
Larsen proposed a simpler form by holding u, L & H
constant, we get a linear graph like Fig 6.2.
If for example the concentration c
1
with emission
rate q
1
, then to reduce conc to c
2
, we can find q
2
.



8
( )
b c
b c
q
q
L
uH b c
q

=
1
2
1
2 2
2
or
Fractional reduction in emission rate
If the current pollutant conc exceeds the
standard guideline, then we must make c
2
&
q
2
(the new conc) lower than c
1
& q
1
.
Fractional reduction in emission rate can be
computed using:

9
b c
c c
b c
b c
q
q
q
q q

=
=

=
|
|
.
|

\
|
1
2 1
1
2
1
2
1
2 1
1
1
rate emission in
reduction Fractional
(Eqn 6.11)
Example 6.3 (page 125)
The ambient air quality standard for particulates (TSP) in USA
in 1971 was 75 g/m
3
. In 1970, annual average particle
concentration measured at one monitoring station was 190
g/m
3
. The background concentration was estimated to be 20
g/m
3
. By what percentage would the emission rate of
particulates have to be reduced below the 1970 level in order
to meet the 1971 ambient air quality standard?
10
b c
c c

=
|
|
.
|

\
|
1
2 1
rate emission in
reduction Fractional
67% or 67 . 0
20 190
75 190
=

=
MULTIPLE BOX MODEL OF A CITY
THE URBAN AIRSHED MODEL - UAM
Mass balances (including generation and
consumption terms) written for many boxes of
typically 2-5 km square and ~ 10
2
meters high.
Each box is considered to be well mixed.
Boxes can have mass fluxes to/from all adjacent
boxes.
Inputs are time variant emission and wind patterns
as well as solar flux (for ozone photochemistry)
Outputs are time variant concentrations of pollutant
in each box.
Figure 6.10 de Nevers
UAM scheme
What is Dispersion?
Dispersion: The act or process to drive off or
scatter in different directions
Key parameters:
Diffusion due to concentration gradient
Mean air motion that transport pollutants
downwind
Turbulent velocity fluctuations that disperse
pollutants in all directions
13
DIFFUSION MODELS
It is possible to estimate the air contaminant
levels with higher degree of reliability the=an
the fixed-box model.
With knowledge of meteorological
phenomena & variables in weather systems.
Can be used as basis for devising air pollution
prevention & abatement programs.

14
The Gaussian Plume Idea
Based on material balance.
Consider a point source such as a factory
smokestack and attempts to compute the
downwind conc resulting from this point
source.
Figure 6.3 (page 126) describes the schematic
diagram of this model.
The Gaussian Plume Idea
Origin of coordinate
system is the base of
stack.
X axis aligned in the
downwind direction.
Plume rises, then
levels off to travel in
the x-direction, and
spreads in y and z
directions.
Gaussian dispersion - describes the transport and diffusion of a
gas (or particle) from a source to a receptor according to stability
class and other parameterized characteristics of the atmosphere.
17
Dispersion Models:
Point Source Gaussian Plume Model
18
Effective Stack Height
Plumes normally rise upwards
first because they are normally
emitted at higher T than atm T
and with a vertical velocity.
H is the effective stack height.
H is the sum of physical stack
height and plume rise.
19
H = h + Ah
2-D STEADY DISPERSION MODEL

Solution for windspeed of u m/s and continuous release of
Q g/s of pollutant at : x = y = 0 (stack location) and
z = H (the effective stack height)

H = h + Ah
h : physical stack height,
Ah : plume rise due to buoyancy
6.27) (eqn
2
) (
2
exp
2
2
2
2
2
(

|
|
.
|

\
|

+ =
z y
z y
H z y
u
Q
c
o o o o t
Example 6.4
A factory emits 20 g/s of SO
2
at height H. The
wind speed is 3 m/s. At a distance of 1 km
downwind, the values of
y
and
z
are 30 m
and 20 m, respectively. What are the SO
2
conc
at the centreline of the plume, and at a point
60 m to the side of and 20 m below the
centreline?
21
Horizontal & Vertical dispersion
coefficients,
y
and
z

To use the Gaussian plume eqn, need to have

y
and
z
values.
These can be obtained from Fig 6.7 & 6.8
22
Horizontal dispersion
coefficient
Vertical dispersion
coefficient
Example 6.5
Estimate the values of
y
and
z
at a point 0.5
km downwind from pollutant source on a
bright summer day with a wind speed greater
than 6 m/s.
25
Pasquill Stability Classes
Table 3-1 Wark,
Warner & Davis
Table 6-1 de Nevers
Stack Design
Meteorological data are necessary for
expressing dispersion equations
For optimum stack design local variables
must be considered
Local variables
Mechanical turbulence from nearby buildings
Irregular terrain
Using different criteria for short-term releases,
explosions, for instantaneous release of
nuclear fission products

28
29
( ) 10 2.68 1.5
3 -
(

+ = A
s
a s s
T
T T
PD
u
D V
h
Hollands equation and Davidson &
Bryant
Where Ah = rise of plume above the stack, m
= stack gas velocity, m/s
d = inside stack diameter, m
u = wind speed, m/s
p = atmospheric pressure, millibars
AT = stack gas temperature minus air
temperature, K (T
s
T
air
)
T
s
= stack gas temperature, K



H = h + Ah
30
Davidson & Bryant
Not a very reliable eqn.
Where Ah = rise of plume above the stack, m
= stack gas velocity, m/s
d = inside stack diameter, m
u = wind speed, m/s

AT = stack gas temperature minus air
temperature, K (T
s
T
air
)
T
s
= stack gas temperature, K



31
32
Plume Rise Example 6.9
Estimate the plume rise for a 3 m diameter
stack whose exit gas has a velocity of 20 m/s
when the wind velocity is 2 m/s, P = 1 atm
(1013 milibars) , T
s
= 100C, T
a
= 15C.
33

DISPERSION COEFFICIENTS

K
y
and K
z
approximately proportional to wind speed
K
y
/u and K
z
/u approximately constant
o
y
and o
z
should vary approximately with x
(1/2)


Field observations show more complex variation (Figures
6.7 and 6.8 de Nevers)
Wind speed and solar flux combine to give stability classes
A - F (Table 6.1 de Nevers)
o
z
z
K x
u
=
2
o
y
y
K x
u
=
2
Stability Classes
Table 3-1 Wark,
Warner & Davis
Table 6-1 de Nevers
Maximum Ground Level
Concentration
Maximum ground level conc occurs when oz =
0.707H, provided oz/oy are constant with
downwind distance x
(Source: Meteorological Aspects of Air Pollution,
Air Pollution Training Program, U.S. Dept.
H.E.W. Division of Air Pollution, Cincinatti,
Ohio. 1962.)

38
Ground level burning
If the effective stack height is zero,
z y
u
Q
c
o o t 2
=
Other topics
Building wakes
Aerodynamic downwash (Mountainous areas)
Transport distances
Initial dispersion

EPA recommended models: Includes many
factors into the basic plume model.

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