Estimation of atmospheric dispersion at nuclear power plants utilizing real time anemometer statistics

Technical Report · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1985

OSTI ID:6112969

Li, W W; Meroney, R N

Dispersion and turbulence measurements were conducted in a simulated atmospheric boundary layer. Field experiments and wind tunnel results for the behavior of lateral plume dispersion are compared to three semi-empirical expressions based on Taylor's diffusion theory. Agreement between the field data and laboratory measurements supports using wind tunnel results to simulate atmospheric transport phenomena. Eulerian space-time correlations with streamwise separations were measured for all three velocity components in the simulated boundary layer. Results were compared to previous measurements which were performed under different flow configurations. A universal shape of the Eulerian space-time correlation seems to exist when presented in a normalized time coordinate. Turbulence measurements of fixed-point Eulerian velocity statistics were employed to estimate the Lagrangian velocity statistics through the Baldwin and Johnson approach. The approach was modified to account for the uniform shear stress effect in a homogenous turbulent flow field. The estimated Lagrangian integral time scale agrees with estimates inferred from dispersion measurements within only a 20% error. Such agreement supports the methodology of using real time anemometer statistics to predict the atmospheric turbulent dispersion near a nuclear reactor site. 81 references, 78 figures, 14 tables.

• Research Organization: Colorado State Univ., Fort Collins (USA). Fluid Dynamics and Diffusion Lab.
• OSTI ID: 6112969
• Report Number(s): NUREG/CR-4072; ON: TI85900626
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

500300* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
BOUNDARY LAYERS
DIFFUSION
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FUNCTIONS
GASEOUS WASTES
GAUSS FUNCTION
LAGRANGIAN FUNCTION
LAYERS
MASS TRANSFER
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
PLUMES
POWER PLANTS
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
SIMULATION
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
WASTES