Modeling the dispersion of atmospheric pollution using cubic splines and Chapeau functions. [Environmental transport of chemical and radioactive gaseous wastes at Savannah River Plant]

Conference · Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1977

OSTI ID:5341494

Pepper, D. W.; Kern, C. D.

A quasi-Lagrangian cubic-spline method and a chapeau-function (Galerkin) method are investigated and numerical results compared in advecting a passive scalar. Both methods are simple to use, computationally fast, and give reasonably accurate results. Little numerical dissipation is manifested by either scheme. In simple advection tests with equal mesh spacing, chapeau functions are more accurate than the quasi-Lagrangian cubic-spline method for maintaining peak concentration values. In tests with unequal mesh spacing, cubic-spline methods have lower reflectivity (noise) than chapeau functions and maintain slightly more accurate concentration distributions. Both cubic splines and chapeau functions are used to solve the dispersion of gaseous emissions in three dimensions over the Savannah River Plant (SRP). Real-time winds are obtained from measured data and interpolated to nodal points. Vertical diffusion is calculated from similarity theory and an O'Brien cubic profile. Results obtained from chapeau functions are compared to measured data after the 1974 accidental tritium release from SRP.

• Research Organization: Du Pont de Nemours (E.I.) and Co., Aiken, S.C. (USA). Savannah River Lab.
• DOE Contract Number: EY-76-C-09-0001
• OSTI ID: 5341494
• Report Number(s): DP-MS-76-83; CONF-770619-5; TRN: 78-004349
• Resource Relation: Conference: International symposium on computer methods for partial differential equations, Bethlehem, PA, USA, 22 Jun 1977
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
CHEMICAL EFFLUENTS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
RADIOACTIVE EFFLUENTS
SAVANNAH RIVER PLANT
MONITORING
TRITIUM
AERODYNAMICS
ALTITUDE
BOUNDARY LAYERS
DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
GASEOUS WASTES
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
METEOROLOGY
SURFACE AIR
TURBULENCE
VELOCITY
WIND
AIR
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
EQUATIONS
FLUID MECHANICS
FLUIDS
GASES
HYDROGEN ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
LAYERS
LIGHT NUCLEI
MASS TRANSFER
MECHANICS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RADIOISOTOPES
US AEC
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
WASTES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
500200* - Environment
Atmospheric- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)
500300 - Environment
Atmospheric- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)