Basic Environmental Engineering and Pollution Abatement

Transmission of pollutants in environment 1

DR. PRASENJIT MONDAL

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

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 CONTENTS
➢ Transmission in Air
▪ Air pollution dispersion
• Diffusion and advection for dispersion of air pollutants
• Atmospheric stability and dispersion
• Air pollution emission plume
• Modeling of air pollution dispersion
➢ Transmission in water

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➢ Air pollution dispersion Diffusion and advection
Distribution of air pollution into the atmosphere.
Pollutants are distributed though diffusion (movement due to concentration gradient) and
advection (movement due to bulk motion of air)
Advection on weather maps is dependent upon two factors; 1) the strength of the wind and 2)
the angle of the wind relative to the lines of equal value (isolines) of the variable being
advected.
A: Maximum advection
64 64 64
B: Advection lower than A
C: No advection 66 66 66

Thus, dispersion is influenced by wind speed, 68 68 68

its direction and hence the atmospheric 70 70 70
stability Figure A Figure B Figure C

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 ➢ Atmospheric stability and dispersion
Atmospheric stability is a measure of the atmosphere's tendency to discourage or deter
vertical motion, and vertical motion is directly correlated to different types of weather systems
and their severity.
Wind velocity, temperature, turbulence, humidity, rain fall etc influence atmospheric stability
as a result it also influences the dispersion of pollutants
The three types are unstable, stable, and neutral. In general:
•An unstable atmosphere will enhance or encourage the vertical movement of air.
•A stable atmosphere will suppress or resist vertical motion.
•A neutral atmosphere will neither suppress nor enhance vertical motion.
If an air parcel is warmer than its surrounding environment, then it will be less dense than its
surroundings and will rise like a hot air balloon. This is Unstable Air and has the potential for
creating storms.
If an air parcel is cooler than its surrounding environment, then it will be denser than its
environment and will sink. This is Stable Air which generally leads to clear skies.
If an air parcel is the same temperature as its, then neutral atmosphere
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 ➢ Atmospheric stability and dispersion
Stability is dependent upon the Dry and Saturated Adiabatic Lapse Rates and the Environmental
Lapse Rate.
Environmental Lapse Rate: The rate at which the air temperature changes with height in the
atmosphere surrounding a cloud or a rising parcel of air. The overall average rate is a decrease of
about 6.5°C/km. Where the lapse rate of temperature is negative (temperature increases with
height), an inversion is said to exist.
The word adiabatic means that no outside heat is involved in the warming or cooling of the air
parcels.
Dry air cools at about 10 C/km (the 'dry adiabatic lapse rate'), while moist air usually cools at
less than 6 C/km ('moist adiabatic lapse rate’).
• Ambient (actual) lapse rate
= Г (same rate) neutral
> Г (temperature falls faster) unstable or super adiabatic
< Г (temperature falls slower) stable or sub adiabatic
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Different patterns plumes of air dispersion from a stack

Source- Introduction to environmental

engineering and science, Gilbert M.
Masters and Wandell P. Ela
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 ➢ Modeling of air pollution dispersion Point source Gaussian plume model
The Gaussian model is perhaps the oldest (circa 1936) and perhaps the most commonly used
model type. It assumes that the air pollutant dispersion has a Gaussian distribution, meaning
that the pollutant distribution has a normal probability distribution. The primary algorithm
used in Gaussian modeling is the Generalized Dispersion Equation For A Continuous Point-
Source Plume.

Source- Introduction to
environmental
engineering and science,
Gilbert M. Masters and
Wandell P. Ela

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Point Source Gaussian Plume Model

We are only interested at

ground concentrations (x,y)

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 Point Source Gaussian Plume Model
• Model Structure and Assumptions
– pollutants release from a virtual point source
– constant emission rate
– advective (horizontal) transport is by wind
– dispersive transport (spreading) follows normal (Gaussian) distribution away
from trajectory
– wind speed constant with time and elevation
– pollutant is conservative (no reaction)
– terrain is flat and unobstructed
– uniform atmospheric stability

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 Point Source Gaussian Plume Model
2 2
𝐸 1 𝑦 1 𝐻
𝐶 𝑥, 𝑦 = exp − exp −
𝜋𝑆𝑦 𝑆𝑧 𝑢 2 𝑆𝑦 2 𝑆𝑧

Where C = concentration at ground level

at point (x,y), g/m3
E = emission rate of pollutant, g/s
sy,sz = plume dispersion standard deviations in
horizontal and vertical directions respectively, m
u = wind speed at stack effective height H, m/s
x = distance down wind, m
y = horizontal distance from plume centerline, m
H = effective stack height, m
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 Point Source Gaussian Plume Model
– Effective Stack Height
Holland’s formula
Effective Stack Height
𝑣𝑠 𝑇𝑠 − 𝑇𝑎
∆𝐻 = 𝑑[1.5 + 2.68 × 10−2 𝑃 𝑑 ]
𝐻 = ℎ + Δ𝐻 𝑢 𝑇𝑎
where where vs = stack flue gas velocity (m/s)
H = Effective stack height (m) d = stack diameter at exit (m)
h = height of physical stack (m) u = wind speed (m/s)
ΔH = plume rise (m) P = pressure (k Pa)
Ts = stack temperature (flue gases), K
Ta = ambient air temperature, K

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 Point Source Gaussian Plume Model – Stability Categories
Surface wind Day Night
Speed (at 10m) Incoming Solar Radiation
(m/s) Strong Moderate Slight Thinly overcast or ≤ 3/8 cloud
≥ 4/8 Low cloud
<2 A A-B B - -
2-3 A-B B C E F
3-5 B B-C C D E
5-6 C C-D D D D
>6 C D D D D
A :Extremely Unstable D :Neutral
B :Moderately Unstable E :Slightly Stable
C :Slightly Unstable F :Moderately Stable
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Point Source Gaussian Plume Model Horizontal Dispersion Standard
Deviations (Sy)

Source- Introduction to
Sy

environmental engineering
and science, Gilbert M.
Masters and Wandell P. Ela

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Point Source Gaussian Plume Model Vertical Dispersion Standard
Sz Deviations (Sz)

Source- Introduction to
environmental engineering and
science, Gilbert M. Masters and
Wandell P. Ela

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Point Source Gaussian Plume Model – Wind Speed Correction

𝑧2 𝑝 where ux = wind speed at elevation zx

𝑢2 = 𝑢1 ( )
𝑧1 p = empirical constant

Exponent p values for Rural and Urban Regimes

Stability class Rural Urban Stability class Rural Urban
A 0.07 0.15 D 0.15 0.25
B 0.07 0.15 E 0.35 0.30
C 0.10 0.20 F 0.55 0.30

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 Example

Q. A stack in an urban area is emitting 80 g/s of NO. It has an effective stack height of 100 m.
The wind speed is 4 m/s at 10 m. It is a clear summer day with the sun nearly overhead.
Estimate the ground level concentration at
a) 2 km downwind on the centerline
b) and b) 2 km downwind, 0.1 km off the centerline.

Solution

Step 1: Determine stability class

Wind speed is 4 m/s at ground surface

It is a clear summer day with the sun nearly overhead

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 Key to stability categories
Surface wind Day Night
Speed (at 10m) Incoming Solar Radiation
(m/s) Strong Moderate Slight Thinly overcast or ≥ ≤ 3/8 cloud
4/8 Low cloud
<2 A A-B B - -
2-3 A-B B C E F
3-5 B B-C C D E
5-6 C C-D D D D
>6 C D D D D
Description suggests strong solar radiation. Stability
class B
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Step 2. Estimate the wind speed at the effective stack height
Note: effective stack height given – no need to calculate using Holland’s formula

Exponent p values for Rural and Urban Regimes

Stability class Rural Urban Stability class Rural Urban
A 0.07 0.15 D 0.15 0.25
B 0.07 0.15 E 0.35 0.30
C 0.10 0.20 F 0.55 0.30

𝑧2 100 0.15
𝑢2 = 𝑢1 ( )𝑝 = 4( ) = 5.65 𝑚/𝑠
𝑧1 10

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Step 3. Determine Sy and Sz Source- Introduction to environmental
engineering and science, Gilbert M. Masters
Sy = 290 ; Sz = 220 and Wandell P. Ela
 𝐶 𝑥, 𝑦
2 2
4. Determine concentration using Eq = 𝐸 1 𝑦 1 𝐻
exp − exp −
a. x = 2000, y = 0 𝜋𝑆𝑦 𝑆𝑧 𝑢 2 𝑆𝑦 2 𝑆𝑧
2 2
80 1 0 1 100
𝐶 2000,0 = exp − exp −
𝜋(290)(220)(5.6) 2 290 2 220

𝐶 2000,0 = 6.43 × 10−5 𝑔Τ𝑚3 = 64.3 𝜇𝑔/𝑚3

b. x = 2000, y = 0.1 km = 100 m

2 2
80 1 100 1 100
𝐶 2000,100 = exp − exp −
𝜋(290)(220)(5.6) 2 290 2 220
𝑔
𝐶 2000,100 = 6.06 × 10−5 = 60.6 𝜇𝑔/𝑚3
𝑚3
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Thanks

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