Results from Three Field Tracer Experiments on the Neighbourhood Scale in the City of Birmingham UK

The physical processes governing flow and pollutantdispersion at the neighbourhood scale, a spatial scaleintermediate between the street scale and the city scale, is notwell understood. Furthermore, it is not clear whether a traditional approach using averaged characteristics such as theaerodynamic roughness length is sufficient to predict the concentration field at this scale. To investigate pollutant dispersion in a real urban area, three field experiments were designed within the UK-URGENT programme sponsored by NERC. Theexperiments were performed in the City of Birmingham using a finite duration release of inert, non-toxic and non-depositingtracers, vis. perfluoromethylcyclohexane (PMCH) and perfluoromethylcyclopentane (PMCP). Measurements were taken using air bag samplers placedin an arc at 3.5 km (first experiment) and 1 km (second andthird experiments) from the source; some trap samplers wereplaced outside the main arc in the outskirts of the city. Measurements were analysed in the laboratory using anovel gas-chromatography technique. Data so obtained werecompared with predictions from a simple steady-state modeland a time-dependent model. The concentration-time serieswere very asymmetrical with a sharp rise, a plateau followedby a relatively slow decrease and finally a long-livedplateau above (or possibly very slow decrease to) thebackground level.     

CFD Prediction of Air Quality in the Area between Two City Vehicular Tunnels Considering Moving Cars

Concentration fields of different pollutants that spread outside two roadtunnels predicted with a CFD code will be presented. The solution domain represents the city area located between two tunnel outlets – tunnel Strahov and tunnel Mrazovka in Prague. The vicinity of both tunnels is a heavily built up area with tall buildings forming typical street canyons. The CFD modelling predicts the situation after the tunnel Mrazovka will be finished and traffic will increase considerably between both tunnels. Namely, an interest was given to the prediction of dispersion of emissions leaving both tunnel and the area touched by the traffic. For the CFD predictions, a method previously developed for moving vehicles was used. The method uses combination of Eulerian and Lagrangian approaches to moving objects and is capable of modeling different speeds and traffic rates of cars as well as traffic-induced turbulence. Influence of several meteorological parameters was studied, namely wind speed and direction and traffic parameters, like traffic rates and speed of cars. The method separates contributions from different sources to the total concentration field, namely from background, tunnel outlet and roadway. Results are presented in the form of horizontal and vertical concentration fields of NO_x.     

A SIMPLE HYDRAULIC SIMULATOR1

ABSTRACT: A simple simulator was constructed, calibrated, programmed and used in management studies of a hydraulic system containing two pumping stations in series, connected by canals and reservoirs. The features of the model, its calibration and use are described, and comparisons between measured and computed hydraulic behavior are presented.     

考虑油滴碰撞聚结的斜板除油过程模拟

考虑离散油滴在油田废水除油过程中发生的油滴碰撞聚结现象,模拟得出斜板除油器内全部油滴的动态信息,用于斜板除油器除油效率的计算.对矩形同向流斜板除油过程的模拟研究表明:油滴的碰撞聚结会增加斜板除油的效率;当废水的原始含油浓度增大时,斜板除油的效率会增大,碰撞聚结对除油效率提高的影响也越大;废水流动速度提高及斜板的倾斜角度增加均会使斜板的除油效率降低,但此时油滴碰撞聚结对除油效率的影响仍很明显.     

Method to analyze the regional life loss risk by airborne chemicals released after devastating earthquakes: A simulation approach

Widespread chemical plants render human life more vulnerable to major natural disasters such as earthquakes. Recognizing the potential cascading threats initiated by a devastating earthquake, a general methodology for assessing the life loss risks introduced by airborne hazardous chemical dispersion following seismically induced chemical release (SICR) was proposed. With a 600 km × 600 km region in North China as a demonstrative study area, the dispersion of ammonia released from multiple relevant chemical plants that were supposed to be damaged by a devastating earthquake was simulated in a probabilistic manner. Using an ammonia toxicity-fatality relationship and its toxicity concentration threshold, regional life loss and spatial spread were evaluated. The life loss risk was found to be non-prominent but would be very contingent on unfavorable meteorological conditions. Non-parametric correlation analysis revealed that the respective effects of meteorological mixing parameters on the risk exhibit new features in a disaster context, that is, stronger mixing would cause elevation of risk in a region. This preliminary research implied that the risk of chemical-induced life loss after a devastating earthquake deserves attention and a thorough uncertainty evaluation in the future.     

Machine learning based quantitative consequence prediction models for toxic dispersion casualty

Incidental release of toxic chemicals can pose extreme danger to life in the vicinity. Therefore, it is crucial for emergency responders, plant operators, and safety professionals to have a fast and accurate prediction to evaluate possible toxic dispersion life-threatening consequences. In this work, a toxic chemical dispersion casualty database that contains 450 leak scenarios of 18 toxic chemicals is constructed to develop a machine learning based quantitative property-consequence relationship (QPCR) model to estimate the affected area caused by toxic chemical release within a certain death rate. The results show that the developed QPCR model can predict the toxic dispersion casualty range with root mean square error of maximum distance, minimum distance, and maximum width less than 0.2, 0.4, and 0.3, which indicates that the constructed model has satisfying accuracy in predicting toxic dispersion ranges under different lethal consequences. The model can be further expanded to accommodate more toxic chemicals and leaking scenarios.     

Numerical investigation of powder aerosolization in a mining rock dust dispersion chamber

We have conducted numerical simulations of dust dispersion within the NIOSH Rock Dust Dispersion Chamber. The apparatus consists of a low-speed background ventilation flow down a long box in which is placed a tray containing a rock dust powder. A nozzle upstream of the tray introduces a short pulse of a turbulent horizontal jet flow just above the powder surface. We have utilized an incompressible Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes k-ω model for the turbulent flow; particles are incorporated within a one-way Euler-Lagrangian formalism. The Rock Dust Dispersion Chamber ventilation flow exhibits a recirculation zone just above the powder-containing tray. Aerosolization proceeds via the interplay of the jet pulse flow with the background recirculation flow. The air flow is not well-mixed. The aerosolized dust is convected as a concentration cloud downstream towards the detection zone. For larger particles, gravitational settling depletes the convected cloud, so the instrument behaves as a horizontal elutriator. The instrument is robust with respect to misalignment of the jet nozzle. However, reduced streamwise drift velocity allows mixing to disperse the optically detected dust cloud concentration pulse. Our large particle simulation results compare favorably with published experimental results for large, polydisperse calcium carbonate rock dust.     

Study into influence of different types of igniters on the explosion parameters of dispersed nitrocellulose powder

Nitrocellulose is a flammable compound produced by cellulose nitration. The nitrocellulose production and handling are associated with a risk of fire and explosion. Nitrocellulose is used as either collodion cotton (<12.5% N) or as an explosive (>12.5% N). Nitrocellulose is a fibrous or powdered substance and may detonate or burn upon certain conditions. The article compares the combustion parameters of dry nitrocellulose in the KV-150M2-UIBE explosion chamber at the concentrations of 250, 500 and 750 g m⁻³. To ignite a nitrocellulose sample, six different types of igniters were used. A commercially available 5 kJ pyrotechnic igniter was used as the standard. Also used were a nitrocellulose igniter, a pyrotechnic igniter with magnesium powder and KNO₃/KClO₃, and an exploding wire (Kanthal and tungsten wire). The examined igniters were found to affect the explosion parameters of dispersed nitrocellulose. The deviation of the explosion constant K_st reached 50% of the standard value. The highest pressure of 12.73 bar g was reached at a concentration of 750 g m⁻³ and an igniter exploding wire with Kanthal wire. The highest K_st value of 287.9 bar.m.s⁻¹ was achieved at a concentration of 750 g m⁻³, when using the pyrotechnic igniter with KClO₃ and magnesium powder.     

WRF-Fluent耦合模式的构建及其对城市大气扩散的精细化模拟

为了准确刻画城市环境中的复杂建筑结构对大气运动和污染物输送及扩散过程的影响,结合中尺度模式WRF和微尺度模式Fluent构建了单向耦合的WRF-Fluent模式,并将其应用于榆中县城区高架源排放情景下大气扩散的模拟研究.基于城市气象/示踪外场试验期间获取的气象数据对WRF模式的模拟性能进行验证,发现WRF能够为Fluent提供比较准确的随时间变化的气象驱动场.在此基础上,将榆中县城区三维几何模型嵌入到WRF-Fluent中,对城区内的流场及污染烟羽的时空演变过程进行精细化模拟,并将模拟结果与实测示踪物浓度数据进行比对.结果显示,WRF-Fluent模式可以很好地描述城区内的复杂三维风场结构以及污染烟羽随时间的动态变化特征,而且模拟的地面和城市冠层顶浓度最大值基本位于观测值的0.3~3倍之内,这表明构建的WRF-Fluent模式具有较好的模拟性能,可作为一种有效的工具应用于实际城市规划和空气质量改善以及环境风险评估等方面的研究.     

A stochastic-advective transport model for NAPL dissolution and degradation in non-uniform flows in porous media

Remediation schemes for contaminated sites are often evaluated to assess their potential for source zone reduction of mass, or treatment of the contaminant between the source and a control plane (CP) to achieve regulatory limits. In this study, we utilize a stochastic stream tube model to explain the behavior of breakthrough curves (BTCs) across a CP. At the local scale, mass dissolution at the source is combined with an advection model with first-order decay for the dissolved plume. Field-scale averaging is then employed to account for spatial variation in mass within the source zone, and variation in the velocity field. Under the assumption of instantaneous mass transfer from the source to the moving liquid, semi-analytical expressions for the BTC and temporal moments are developed, followed by derivation of expressions for effective velocity, dispersion, and degradation coefficients using the method of moments. It is found that degradation strongly influences the behavior of moments and the effective parameters. While increased heterogeneity in the velocity field results in increased dispersion, degradation causes the center of mass of the plume to shift to earlier times, and reduces the dispersion of the BTC by lowering the concentrations in the tail. Modified definitions of effective parameters are presented for degrading solutes to account for the normalization constant (zeroth moment) that keeps changing with time or distance to the CP. It is shown that anomalous dispersion can result for high degradation rates combined with wide variation in velocity fluctuations. Implications of model results on estimating cleanup times and fulfillment of regulatory limits are discussed. Relating mass removal at the source to flux reductions past a control plane is confounded by many factors. Increased heterogeneity in velocity fields causes mass fluxes past a control plane to persist, however, aggressive remediation between the source and CP can reduce these fluxes.