Diffusion of an instantaneous cluster of particles in homogeneous turbulence

In this work we study the diffusion of instantaneous puffs vs the diffusion of continuous plumes. The model which we use is a Lagrangian model for the motion of N particles suggested by Kaplan and Dinar (1988, J. compt. Phys. 79, 317–335). This model is based on the approach of Richardson to the relative diffusion which states that the instantaneous relative velocity of particles is a function of their instantaneous separation. Results show that the diffusion of a puff is slower than that of a continuous source. We find that the puff evolves more slowly than in the analytic model of Lee and Stone (1983, Atmospheric Environment17, 2477–2481), since in their model diffusion is influenced only by the initial conditions. The effect of the source size on the diffusion rate is studied as well.