Use of the Kit Fox field data to analyze dense gas dispersion modeling issues

The 1995 Kit Fox dense gas field data set consists of 52 trials where short-duration CO₂ gas releases were made at ground level over a rough surface during neutral to stable conditions. The experiments were intended to demonstrate the effects on dense gas clouds of relatively large roughnesses typical of industrial process plants. Fast response concentration observations were made by 80 samplers located on four downwind lines (25, 50, 100, and 225 m), including profile observations on three towers on each of the closest three arcs. Detailed meteorological measurements were made on several towers within and outside of the roughness arrays. The data analysis emphasized the variation of maximum concentration with surface roughness, the dependence of cloud advection speed on cloud depth, the variation of the three components of dispersion with ambient turbulence, and the dependence of vertical entrainment rate on ambient friction velocity and cloud Richardson number. The Kit Fox data were used to evaluate a specific dense gas dispersion model (HEGADAS 3+), with emphasis on whether it would be able to account for the increased roughness. The model was able to satisfactorily simulate the observed concentrations, with a mean bias of about 5% and with about 90% of the predictions within a factor of two of the observations.     

Overview of Petroleum Environmental Research Forum (PERF) dense gas dispersion modeling project

This paper provides a background for and an overview of the results of a comprehensive study of transport and dispersion of dense gas plumes over rough surfaces typical of industrial sites. The Petroleum Environmental Research Forum (PERF) 93-16 project involved model development and evaluations using observations from three wind tunnels and from the Kit Fox field experiment. Detailed discussions of the results of the research are given in the other papers in this special issue. The wind tunnel experiments produced data showing that the resulting best-fit vertical entrainment formula was close to (i.e., within about 30%) the vertical entrainment formulas already in use by current models, which were derived primarily from observations over smooth surfaces. Observations from the Kit Fox field experiment demonstrated the validity of the entrainment curves derived from the wind tunnel data. The Kit Fox data were also used to evaluate algorithms for along-wind dispersion and cloud advection speeds for short-duration releases typical of an industrial site, and to evaluate the HEGADAS dense gas dispersion model.     

A new Lagrangian particle model for the simulation of dense gas dispersion

A Lagrangian stochastic model (MicroSpray), able to simulate the airborne dispersion in complex terrain and in presence of obstacles, was modified to simulate the dispersion of dense gas clouds. This is accomplished by taking into account the following processes: negative buoyancy, gravity spreading and the particle's reflection at the bottom computational boundary. Elevated and ground level sources, continuous and instantaneous emissions, time varying sources, plumes with initial momentum (horizontal, vertical or oblique in any direction), plumes without initial momentum are considered. MicroSpray is part of the model system MSS, which also includes the diagnostic MicroSwift model for the reconstruction of the 3-D wind field in presence of obstacles and orography. To evaluate the MSS ability to simulate the dispersion of heavy gases, its simulation performances are compared in detail to two field experiments (Thorney Island and Kit Fox) and to a chlorine railway accident (Macdona). Then, a comprehensive analysis considering several experiments of the Modelers Data Archive is presented. The statistical analysis on the overall available data reveals that the performance of the new MicroSpray version for dense gas releases is generally reliable. For instance, the agreement between concentration predictions and observations is within a factor of two in the 72% up to 99% of the occurrences for the case studies considered. The values of other performance measures, such as correlation coefficient, geometric mean bias and geometric variance, mostly set in the ranges indicated as good-model performances in the specialized literature.     

Modeling dispersion from toxic gas released after a train collision in Graniteville, SC

The Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) Weather Information and Display System was used to provide meteorological and atmospheric modeling/consequence assessment support to state and local agencies after the collision of two Norfolk Southern freight trains on the morning of January 6, 2005. This collision resulted in the release of several toxic chemicals to the environment, including chlorine. The dense and highly toxic cloud of chlorine gas that formed in the vicinity of the accident was responsible for 9 fatalities and caused injuries to more than 500 others. Transport model results depicting the forecast path of the ongoing release were made available to emergency managers in the county's Unified Command Center shortly after SRNL received a request for assistance. Support continued over the ensuing 2 days of the active response. The SRNL also provided weather briefings and transport/consequence assessment model results to responders from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, the Savannah River Site (SRS) Emergency Operations Center, Department of Energy headquarters, and hazard material teams dispatched from the SRS. Operational model-generated forecast winds used in consequence assessments conducted during the incident were provided at 2-km horizontal grid spacing during the accident response. High-resolution Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS, version 4.3.0) simulation was later performed to examine potential influences of local topography on plume migration in greater detail. The detailed RAMS simulation was used to determine meteorology using multiple grids with an innermost grid spacing of 125 m. Results from the two simulations are shown to generally agree with meteorological observations at the time; consequently, local topography did not significantly affect wind in the area. Use of a dense gas dispersion model to simulate localized plume behavior using the higher-resolution winds indicated agreement with fatalities in the immediate area and visible damage to vegetation.     

Modeling Emissions from Elevated Cylindrical Bins

Abstract

This paper demonstrates how wind tunnel modeling data that accurately describe plume characteristics near an unconventional emission source can be used to improve the near-field downwind plume profiles predicted by conventional air pollution dispersion models. The study considers a vertical, cylindrical-shaped, elevated bin similar to large product storage bins that can be found at many industrial plant sites. Two dispersion models are considered: the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's ISC2(ST) model and the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Energy's GAS model. The wind tunnel study showed that plume behavior was contrary to what was predicted using conventional dispersion models such as ISC2(ST) and GAS and default values of input parameters. The wind tunnel data were used to develop a protocol for correcting the dispersion models inputs, resulting in a substantial improvement in the accuracy of the dispersion estimates.     

Wind tunnel study of air entrainment into two-dimensional dense gas plumes at the Chemical Hazards Research Center

Experiments in a neutrally stable wind tunnel boundary layer were made for two-dimensional (quasi-line) sources of carbon dioxide dispersing over two types of uniformly spaced (billboard) surface roughness elements. Velocity and concentration measurements were made with each surface roughness over a wide range of source Richardson number by varying carbon dioxide release rate and wind speed. Concentration measurements were made with a FID gas analyzer using an ethane tracer in the source gas, and velocity measurements were made with independent LDV and HWA systems. For each surface roughness, this paper describes the wind tunnel boundary layer and presents alongwind and vertical concentration profiles in the gas plume. Vertical velocity and concentration profiles were measured at selected downwind distances, and the profiles were integrated to confirm the consistency of the measurements with the mass of carbon dioxide released. The data are intended for development of improved vertical turbulent entrainment correlations for use in dense gas dispersion models applied to hazardous chemical consequence analyses.     

Near-source air quality impacts of large olefin flares

Large petrochemicalflares, common in the Houston Ship Channel (the Ship Channel) and other industrialized areas in the Gulfof Mexico region, emit hundreds to thousands of pounds per hour of highly reactive volatile organic compounds (HRVOCs). We employedfine horizontal resolution (200 mx200 m) in a three-dimensional (3D) Eulerian chemical transport model to simulate two historical Ship Channel flares. The model reasonably reproduced the observed ozone rise at the nearest monitoring stations downwind of the flares. The larger of the two flares had an olefin emission rate exceeding 1400 lb/hr. In this case, the model simulated a rate of increase in peak ozone greater than 40 ppb/hr over a 12 kmx12 km horizontal domain without any unusual meteorological conditions. In this larger flare, formaldehyde emissions typically neglected in official inventories enhanced peak ozone by as much as 16 ppb and contributed over 10 ppb to ambient formaldehyde up to approximately 8 km downwind of the flare. The intense horizontal gradients in large flare plumes cannot be simulated by coarse models typically used to demonstrate ozone attainment. Moreover even the relatively dense monitoring network in the Ship Channel may not be able to detect many transient high ozone events (THOEs) caused by industrial flare emissions in the absence of stagnant air recirculation or stalled sea breeze fronts, even though such conditions are unnecessary for the occurrence of THOEs.     

A comparison of contaminant plume statistics from a Gaussian puff and urban CFD model for two large cities

This paper quantitatively assesses the spatial extent of modeled contaminated regions resulting from hypothetical airborne agent releases in major urban areas. We compare statistics from a release at several different sites in Washington DC and Chicago using a Gaussian puff model (SCIPUFF, version 1.3, with urban parameter settings) and a building-resolving computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model (FAST3D-CT). For a neutrally buoyant gas source term with urban meteorology, we compare near-surface dosage values within several kilometers of the release during the first half hour, before the gas is dispersed beyond the critical lethal level. In particular, using “fine-grain” point-wise statistics such as fractional bias, spatial correlations and the percentage of points lying within a factor of two, we find that dosage distributions from the Gaussian puff and CFD model share few features in common. Yet the “coarse-grain” statistic that compares areas contained within a given contour level reveals that the differences between the models are less pronounced. Most significant among these distinctions is the rapid lofting, leading to enhanced vertical mixing, and projection downwind of the contaminant by the interaction of the winds with the urban landscape in the CFD model. This model-to-model discrepancy is partially ameliorated by supplying the puff model with more detailed information about the urban boundary layer that evolves on the CFD grid. While improving the correspondence of the models when using the “coarse-grain” statistic, the additional information does not lead to quite as substantial an overall agreement between the models when the “fine-grain” statistics are compared. The taller, denser and more variable building landscape of Chicago created increased sensitivity to release site and led to greater divergence in FAST3D-CT and SCIPUFF results relative to the flatter, sparser and more uniform urban morphology of Washington DC.     

Near-source air quality impacts of large olefin flares

Large petrochemical flares, common in the Houston Ship Channel (the Ship Channel) and other industrialized areas in the Gulf of Mexico region, emit hundreds to thousands of pounds per hour of highly reactive volatile organic compounds (HRVOCs). We employed fine horizontal resolution (200 m?×?200 m) in a three-dimensional (3D) Eulerian chemical transport model to simulate two historical Ship Channel flares. The model reasonably reproduced the observed ozone rise at the nearest monitoring stations downwind of the flares. The larger of the two flares had an olefin emission rate exceeding 1400 lb/hr. In this case, the model simulated a rate of increase in peak ozone greater than 40 ppb/hr over a 12 km?×?12 km horizontal domain without any unusual meteorological conditions. In this larger flare, formaldehyde emissions typically neglected in official inventories enhanced peak ozone by as much as 16 ppb and contributed over 10 ppb to ambient formaldehyde up to ～8 km downwind of the flare. The intense horizontal gradients in large flare plumes cannot be simulated by coarse models typically used to demonstrate ozone attainment. Moreover, even the relatively dense monitoring network in the Ship Channel may not be able to detect many transient high ozone events (THOEs) caused by industrial flare emissions in the absence of stagnant air recirculation or stalled sea breeze fronts, even though such conditions are unnecessary for the occurrence of THOEs.

Implications: Flare minimization may be an important strategy to attain the U.S. federal ozone standard in industrialized areas, and to avoid inordinate exposure to formaldehyde in neighborhoods surrounding petrochemical facilities. Moreover, air quality monitoring networks, emission inventories, and chemical transport models with higher spatial and temporal resolution and more refined speciation of HRVOCs are needed to better account for the near-source air quality impacts of large olefin flares.     

Modeling of dispersion near roadways based on the vehicle-induced turbulence concept

A mathematical model is developed for dispersion near roadways by incorporating vehicle-induced turbulence (VIT) into Gaussian dispersion modeling using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The model is based on the Gaussian plume equation in which roadway is regarded as a series of point sources. The Gaussian dispersion parameters are modified by simulation of the roadway using CFD in order to evaluate turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) as a measure of VIT. The model was evaluated against experimental carbon monoxide concentrations downwind of two major freeways reported in the literature. Good agreements were achieved between model results and the literature data. A significant difference was observed between the model results with and without considering VIT. The difference is rather high for data very close to the freeways. This model, after evaluation with additional data, may be used as a framework for predicting dispersion and deposition from any roadway for different traffic (vehicle type and speed) conditions.     

Radon emissions from natural gas power plants at The Pennsylvania State University

Burning natural gas in power plants may emit radon (²²²Rn) into the atmosphere. On the University Park campus of The Pennsylvania State University, atmospheric radon enhancements were measured and modeled in the vicinity of their two power plants. The three-part study first involved measuring ambient outdoor radon concentrations from August 2014 through January 2015 at four sites upwind and downwind of the power plants at distances ranging from 80 m to 310 m. For each plant, one site served as a background site, while three other sites measured radon concentration enhancements downwind. Second, the radon content of natural gas flowing into the power plant was measured, and third, a plume dispersion model was used to predict the radon concentrations downwind of the power plants. These predictions are compared to the measured downwind enhancements in radon to determine whether the observed radon concentration enhancements could be attributed to the power plants’ emissions. Atmospheric radon concentrations were consistently low as compared to the EPA action level of 148 Bq m^?3, averaging 34.5 ± 2.7 Bq m^?3 around the East Campus Steam Plant (ECSP) and 31.6 ± 2.7 Bq m^?3 around the West Campus Steam Plant (WCSP). Significant concentrations of radon, ranging from 516 to 1,240 Bq m^?3, were detected in the natural gas. The measured enhancements downwind of the ECSP averaged 6.2 Bq m^?3 compared to modeled enhancements of 0.08 Bq m^?3. Measured enhancements around the WCSP averaged ?0.2 Bq m^?3 compared to the modeled enhancements of 0.05 Bq m^?3, which were not significant compared to observational error. The comparison of the measured to modeled downwind radon enhancements shows no correlation over time. The measurements of radon levels in the vicinity of the power plants appear to be unaffected by the emissions from the power plants.

Implications: Radon measurements at sites surrounding power plants that utilize natural gas did not indicate that the radon concentrations originated from the plants’ emissions. There were elevated radon concentrations in the natural gas supply flowing into the power plants, but combustion dilution puts the concentration below EPA action levels coming out of the stack, so no hazardous levels were expected downwind. Power plant combustion of natural gas is not likely to pose a radiation health hazard unless very different gas radon concentrations or combustion dilution ratios are encountered.     

Measurement of atmospheric pollutants associated with oil and natural gas exploration and production activity in Pennsylvania’s Allegheny National Forest

Oil and natural gas exploration and production (E&P) activities generate emissions from diesel engines, compressor stations, condensate tanks, leaks and venting of natural gas, construction of well pads, and well access roads that can negatively impact air quality on both local and regional scales. A mobile, autonomous air quality monitoring laboratory was constructed to collect measurements of ambient concentrations of pollutants associated with oil and natural gas E&P activities. This air-monitoring laboratory was deployed to the Allegheny National Forest (ANF) in northwestern Pennsylvania for a campaign that resulted in the collection of approximately 7 months of data split between three monitoring locations between July 2010 and June 2011. The three monitoring locations were the Kane Experimental Forest (KEF) area in Elk County, which is downwind of the Sackett oilfield; the Bradford Ranger Station (BRS) in McKean County, which is downwind of a large area of historic oil and gas productivity; and the U.S. Forest Service Hearts Content campground (HC) in Warren County, which is in an area relatively unimpacted by oil and gas development and which therefore yielded background pollutant concentrations in the ANF. Concentrations of criteria pollutants ozone and NO₂ did not vary significantly from site to site; averages were below National Ambient Air Quality Standards. Concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) associated with oil and natural gas (ethane, propane, butane, pentane) were highly correlated. Applying the conditional probability function (CPF) to the ethane data yielded most probable directions of the sources that were coincident with known location of existing wells and activity. Differences between the two impacted and one background site were difficult to discern, suggesting the that the monitoring laboratory was a great enough distance downwind of active areas to allow for sufficient dispersion with background air such that the localized plumes were not detected.

ImplicationsMonitoring of pollutants associated with oil and natural gas exploration and production activity at three sites within the Allegheny National Forest (ANF) showed only slight site-to-site differences even with one site far removed from these activities. However, the impact was evident not in detection of localized plumes but in regional elevated ethane concentrations, as ethane can be considered a tracer species for oil and natural gas activity. The data presented serve as baseline conditions for evaluation of impacts from future development of Marcellus or Utica shale gas reserves.     

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Simulations on the Effect of Rough Surface on Atmospheric Turbulence Flow Above Hilly Terrain Shapes

The behavioral distribution of the atmospheric turbulence flow over the terrain with changes in a rough surface has become one of the most important topics of air pollution research, among such other topics as transportation and dispersion pollutants. In this study, a computational model on atmospheric turbulence flow over a terrain hill shaped with rough surface was investigated under neutral atmospheric conditions. The flow was assumed to be 2D and modeled using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models, which were numerically solved using Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations. Rough surface conditions were modeled using a number of windbreak fences regularly spaced on the hill. The mean velocity and turbulent structures such as turbulence intensity and turbulent kinetic energy were investigated in the upwind and downwind regions over the hill, and the numerical models were validated against the wind-tunnel results to optimize the turbulence model. The computational results agreed well with the results obtained from the wind tunnel experiments. The computational results indicate that the mean velocity was observed to increase dramatically around the crest of the upwind slope of the hill. A thick internal boundary layer was observed with a fence on the crest and downwind region of the hill. The reversed flow and recirculation zone were formed in the wake region behind the hill. It was thus determined that turbulent kinetic energy decreases as the mean velocity increases.     

基于CFD的污泥脱水机房恶臭扩散分布规律研究

污泥脱水机房是污水处理厂恶臭污染最严重的处理单元之一,其恶臭污染危害工作人员和周边居民身体健康。为研究脱水机房恶臭扩散分布规律,运用计算流体动力学（computational fluid dynamics, CFD）理论并采用其商用软件FLUENT对脱水机房主要恶臭污染物之一的硫化氢扩散分布进行数值模拟。案例研究了3种典型情景下的硫化氢扩散分布。结果表明,不同通风条件对脱水机房硫化氢扩散分布影响较大。在进行脱水机房设计时,应将脱水机布置于夏季最多风向的下方向,并靠近排风口,使恶臭污染物在最短的路径上排除出去,还应考虑机房其他布置,使工作人员经常接触和经过的地方位于低浓度区。     

A new Lagrangian stochastic model for the gravity-slumping/spreading motion of a dense gas

A new dispersion model for dense gas which is released into the atmosphere on the flat terrain is constructed within the Lagrangian framework. Using the hydrostatic assumption for pressure distribution within cloud due to density variation, slumping motion is successfully incorporated into the Lagrangian model with entrainment effect naturally considered. Turbulence suppression due to stable stratification within cloud is also taken into consideration in the model formulation. Various results including time variant and maximum concentration predictions by the proposed model are compared with the available measured data in the experiment conducted in Thorney Island in 1984 with good agreement.     

Dispersion modeling to compare alternative technologies for odor remediation at swine facilities

The effectiveness of 18 alternative technologies for reducing odor dispersion at and beyond the boundary of swine facilities was assessed in conjunction with an initiative sponsored through agreements between the Attorney General of North Carolina and Smithfield Foods, Premium Standard Farms, and Frontline Farmers. The trajectory and spatial distribution of odor emitted at each facility were modeled at 200 and 400 m downwind from each site under two meteorological conditions (daytime and nighttime) using a Eulerian-Lagrangian model. To predict the dispersion of odor downwind, the geographical area containing the odorant sources at each facility was partitioned into 10-m2 grids on the basis of satellite photographs and architectural drawings. Relative odorant concentrations were assigned to each grid point on the basis of intensity measurements made by the trained odor panel at each facility using a 9-point rating scale. The results of the modeling indicated that odor did not extend significantly beyond 400 m downwind of any of the test sites during the daytime when the layer of air above the earth's surface is usually turbulent. However, modeling indicated that odor from all full-scale farms extended beyond 400 m onto neighboring property in the evenings when deep surface cooling through long-wave radiation to space produces a stable (nocturnal) boundary layer. The results also indicated that swine housing, independent of waste management type, plays a significant role in odor downwind, as do odor sources of moderate to moderately high intensity that emanate from a large surface area such as a lagoon. Human odor assessments were utilized for modeling rather than instrument measurements of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, or particulates less than 10 microm in diameter (PM10) because these physical measurements obtained simultaneously with human panel ratings were not found to accurately predict human odor intensity in the field.     

Defining the spatial impacts of poultry farm ammonia emissions on species composition of adjacent woodland groundflora using Ellenberg Nitrogen Index,nitrous oxide and nitric oxide emissions and foliar nitrogen as marker variables

The marker variables, Ellenberg Nitrogen Index, nitrous oxide and nitric oxide fluxes and foliar nitrogen, were used to define the impacts of NH3 deposition from nearby livestock buildings on species composition of woodland ground flora, using a woodland site close to a major poultry complex in the UK. The study centred on 2 units in close proximity to each other, containing 350,000 birds, and estimated to emit around 140,000 kg N year(-1) as NH3. Annual mean concentrations of NH3 close to the buildings were very large (60 microg m(-3)) and declined to 3 microg m(-3) at a distance of 650 m from the buildings. Estimated total N deposition ranged from 80 kg N ha(-1) year(-1) at a distance of 30 m to 14 kg N ha(-1) year(-1) at 650 m downwind. Emissions of N2O and NO were 56 and 131 microg N m(-2) h(-1), respectively at 30 m and 13 and 80 microg N m(-2) h(-1), respectively at 250 m downwind of the livestock buildings. Species number in woodland ground flora downwind of the buildings remained fairly constant for a distance of 200 m from the units then increased considerably, doubling at a distance of 650 m. Within the first 200 m downwind, trends in plant species composition were hard to discern because of variations in tree canopy composition and cover. The mean Ellenberg N Index ranged from 6.0 immediately downwind of the livestock buildings to 4.8 at 650 m downwind. The mean abundance weighted Ellenberg N Index also declined with distance from the buildings. Tissue N concentrations in trees, herbs and mosses were all large, reflecting the substantial ammonia emissions at this site. Tissue N content of ectohydric mosses ranged from approximately 4% at 30 m downwind to 1.6% at 650 m downwind. An assessment of the relative merits of the three marker variables concludes, that while Ellenberg Index and trace gas fluxes of N2O and NO give broad indications of impacts of ammonia emissions on woodland vegetation, the application of a critical foliar N content for ectohydric mosses is the most useful method for providing spatial information which could be of value to policy developers and planners.     

Combined simulation of combustion and gas flow in a grate-type incinerator

Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) analysis of the thermal flow in the combustion chamber of a solid waste incinerator provides crucial insight into the incinerator's performance. However, the interrelation of the gas flow with the burning waste has not been adequately treated in many CFD models. A strategy for a combined simulation of the waste combustion and the gas flow in the furnace is introduced here. When coupled with CFD, a model of the waste combustion in the bed provides the inlet conditions for the gas flow field and receives the radiative heat flux onto the bed from the furnace wall and gaseous species. An unsteady one-dimensional bed model was used for the test simulation, in which the moving bed was treated as a packed bed of homogeneous fuel particles. The simulation results show the physical processes of the waste combustion and its interaction with the gas flow for various operational parameters.