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Overview of the methodologies used to compile large scale emissions inventories

Conference ·
OSTI ID:7248015

Development of emissions inventories for large geographic areas is currently based on the use of mass balance'' equations to estimate the emissions from each source. The general equation used states that the emissions (E) from a particular source for a specific pollutant in a specified time frame are equal to the product of the activity rate of the source (A) in the selected time frame, an emission factor (EF) which estimates the amount of pollutant emitted per unit activity, and additional parameters which vary according to the type of source whose emissions are being estimated. Emissions for large stationary sources (point sources) are calculated on an individual basis; for smaller sources and for mobile sources methodologies currently in use estimate emissions as area aggregates. Values for the parameters and disaggregation factors used in emissions calculations can be estimated in two different ways. Individual'' estimates can be made for the parameters by estimating a value for each source. Averaged'' estimates can be made for some parameters; in this case, the set of all sources is divided into categories that are thought to be internally more homogeneous than the general population. For each of these categories, a value is estimated for the parameter and used to calculate the emissions from all the sources in the category. The objective of this paper is to present an overview of the methodologies currently used to estimate the values of the parameters needed to compile large scale inventories of anthropogenic emissions, to discuss the major approximations used and to offer recommendations for future refinement of the inventory data. 12 refs.

Research Organization:
Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (USA)
Sponsoring Organization:
DOE/ER
DOE Contract Number:
AC02-76CH00016
OSTI ID:
7248015
Report Number(s):
BNL-42102; CONF-8806460--1; ON: DE90008518
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English