Modelling dispersion from elevated sources in a planetary boundary layer dominated by moderate convection

A general method to evaluate dispersion parameters for a turbulent Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) under convective conditions is described in this paper. The method is based on Taylor’s diffusion theory. By employing the Gaussian plume approach the model performances are evaluated against experimental groundlevel concentrations

Two-dimensional dispersion analytical approach: Eddy diffusivities depending on source distance

An analytical air quality dispersion approach based on the steadystate two-dimensional advection-diffusion equation is presented. The solution employs a spectral method and is analytical in the sense that no approximation is made along its derivation. The approach is valid for homogeneous turbulence and for situations of uniform mean wind speed, and for practical purposes, to elevated releases that occur in neutral stability conditions without strong buoyancy. To simulate and compare the results of this approach against observed ground-level crosswind-integrated concentration two eddy diffusivities are considered. The first eddy diffusivity depends on the distance from the source while the second one assumes a constant value independent of the source distance. It is found that the memory effect contained in the eddy diffusivity, which is a function of downwind distance from the source, allows a better description of the turbulent dispersion of atmospheric contaminants released by an elevated continuous point source

A model for the estimation of standard deviation of air pollution concentration in different stability conditions

We propose to estimate the standard deviations of the air pollution concentration in the horizontal and vertical direction, σy and σz, based on Pasquill’s well-known equation, in terms of the wind variance and the Lagrangian integral time scales, on the basis of an atmospheric turbulence spectra model. The main advantage of the spectral model is its treatment of turbulent kinetic energy spectra as the sum of buoyancy and a shear produced part, modelling each one separately. The formulation represents both shear and buoyant turbulent mechanisms characterizing the various regimes of the Planetary Boundary Layer, and gives continuous values at any elevation and all stability conditions from unstable to stable. As a consequence, both the wind variance and the Lagrangian integral time scales in the dispersion parameters are more general than those found in literature, because they are not derived from diffusion experiments as most parameterizations. Furthermore, they provide a formulation continuous for the whole boundary layer resulting more physically consistent. The σy, σz parameters, included in a Gaussian model have been tested and compared with a dispersion scheme reported in the literature, using experimental data in different emission conditions (low and tall stacks) and in several meteorological conditions ranging from stable to convective. Results show that the dispersion model with the sigmas parameterisation included, produces a good fitting of the measured ground-level concentration data in all the experimental conditions considered, performing slightly better than other state-of-art models

A Derivation of a Variable Vertical Mesh Spacing for Les Models: Application To a CBL

A derivation of a variable vertical mesh spacing for LESmodels: application to a CB

A model based on Heisenberg’s theory for the eddy diffusivity in decaying turbulence applied to the residual layer

The problemof the theoretical derivation of a parameterization for the eddy diffusivity in decaying turbulence is addressed. This derivation makes use of the dynamical equation for the energy spectrum density and the classical statistical diffusion theory. The starting point is Heisenberg’s elementary decaying turbulence theory. The main assumption is related to the identification of a frequency, lying in the inertial subrange, characterizing the inertial energy transfer among eddies of different size. The resulting eddy diffusivity parameterization is then applied to the decay of convective turbulence in the residual layer. Besides the intrinsic scientific interest, this topic has relevance for mesoscale transport and diffusion simulations. The resulting expression for the eddy diffusivity cannot be solved analytically. For this reason an algebraic approximated formulation, giving nearly the same results as the exact expression, is also proposed

Estimation of emission rate from experimental data

The estimation of the source pollutant strength is a relevant issue for atmospheric environment. This characterizes an inverse problem in the atmospheric pollution dispersion studies. In the inverse analysis, a time-dependent pollutant source is considered, where the location of such source term is assumed known. The inverse problem is formulated as a non-linear optimization approach, whose objective function is given by the least-square difference between the measured and simulated by the mathematical model, pollutant concentration, associated with a regularization operator. The forward problem is addressed by a Lagrangian model, and a quasi-Newton method is employed for minimizing the objective function. The second-order Tikhonov regularization is applied and the regularization parameter is computed by using the L-curve scheme. The inverse-problem methodology is verified with data from the tracer Copenhagen experiment

Turbulence dissipation rate derivation for meandering occurrences in a stable planetary boundary layer

A new formulation for the turbulence dissipation rate ε occurring in meandering conditions has been presented. The derivation consists of a MacLaurin series expansion of a lateral dispersion parameter that represents cases in which turbulence and oscillatory movements associated to the meandering events coexist. The new formulation presents the identical physical premises contained in the classical and largely used one, but the new formulation derived from meandering situations is expressed in terms of the loop parameter <I>m</I> that controls the absolute value of the negative lobe in the meandering autocorrelation function. Therefore, the <I>m</I> magnitude regulates the turbulence dissipation rate. This dissipation rate decreases for cases in which turbulence and low frequency horizontal wind oscillations coexist and increases for a fully developed turbulence. Furthermore, a statistical comparison to observed concentration data shows that the alternative relation for the turbulent dissipation rate occurring in situations of meandering enhanced dispersion is suitable for applications in Lagrangian Stochastic dispersion models

Les Modeling of a Diurnal Cycle

LES modeling of a diurnal cycl