Puff-grid model for predicting pollutant transport over an urban area

Journal Article · Mon Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1977 · J. Air Pollut. Control Assoc.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/00022470.1977.10470494· OSTI ID:5145075

Sheih, C M

It has been recognized in recent years that the most promising method for predicting unsteady and non-uniform urban pollutant dispersion is through solutions of the finite difference equation of diffusion, generally termed grid models (e.g. Egan, et al. and Sheih, et al.). However, due to limitations in computer capacity, the spatial resolution of urban, mesoscale and regional models cannot be made sufficiently fine for accurate assessment of the effects of subgrid scale pollutant sources. Since a grid model predicts pollutant concentrations averaged over the grid volume, pollutant sources, in effect, spread uniformly across the grid volume and concentrations near the region occupied by the actual plume are seriously underestimated . For example, the horizontal grid size of the order of 1 km used in a typical urban model by Sklarew, effectively dilutes the strength of an area source of the order of 1 m diameter (a typical smoke stack) by a factor of 10/sup -6/. This problem was discussed extensively by Sheih and Moroz and prompted them to develop a puff model. The purpose of the present paper is to merge the puff model with a grid model. The model is used to predict SO/sub 2/ concentrations over State College, PA. The predictions of the puff-grid (PG) model are compared with that of a conventional grid (G) model.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab., IL
• OSTI ID: 5145075
• Journal Information: J. Air Pollut. Control Assoc.; (United States), Journal Name: J. Air Pollut. Control Assoc.; (United States) Vol. 27:8; ISSN JPCAA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

500200* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AIR POLLUTION
CENTRAL REGION
CHALCOGENIDES
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
EQUATIONS
MASS TRANSFER
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
NORTH AMERICA
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PENNSYLVANIA
PLUMES
POLLUTION
PREDICTION EQUATIONS
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SULFUR DIOXIDE
SULFUR OXIDES
URBAN AREAS
USA