CHAPTER 6B

Air Pollution:
1. Meteorology and Dispersion Modeling
2. Air Pollution Control

Learning Objectives
At the end of this lesson the students should
be able to;
Understand apply the meteorological
aspects and dispersion of air pollutant
Engineering assessment and application
of various methods in controlling air
pollution

Air Quality and Meteorology

Air quality depends on
wind
sunlight
temperature
precipitation and humidity
Energy from the sun and earths rotation
drives atmospheric circulation

Circulation, and the resulting interactions

with water and temperature differences
produce the climate and weather we
observe

Air Quality and Meteorology

Somewhat less observable issue relates to
mixing
Easy to understand how wind and
turbulence produce mixing
Inherent mixing property that derives
from pressure, volume, temperature
relationships
Lapse rate change in temperature with
height (altitude)

Air Quality and Meteorology

Factors controlling air quality
1. Downwind distance
The air pollution will disperse as the downwind distance increases. The
further away the distance will have lower air pollution concentrations.

2. Wind speed and direction (air mixing)

Wind speed also contributes to how quickly pollutants are carried away
from their original source. However, strong winds don't always disperse
the pollutants. They can transport pollutants to a larger area, such as
the smoke from open burning or forest fires.

3. Atmospheric stability
Once pollutants are emitted into the air, the weather (atmospheric
stability) largely determines how well they disperse. Turbulence mixes
pollutants into the surrounding air. For example, during a hot summer
day, the air near the surface can be much warmer than the air above.
Sometimes large volumes of this warm air will rise to great heights.
This results in vigorous mixing.

Air Pollution Occurrences

The most obvious factor influencing air pollution is the
quantity of contaminants emitted into the atmosphere.
However, when air pollution episodes take place, they
are not generally the result of a drastic increase in the
output of pollutants; instead, they occur because of
changes in certain atmospheric conditions.
Two of the most important atmospheric conditions
affecting the dispersion of pollutants are:
(1) the strength of the wind and
(2) the stability of the air.

Air Mixing
The direct effect of wind speed is to influence the
concentration of pollutants.
Atmospheric stability determines the extent to which
vertical motions will mix the pollution with cleaner air
above the surface layers.
The vertical distance between Earth's surface and the
height to which convectional movements extend is called
the mixing depth.
Generally, the greater the mixing depth, the better the air
quality.

Stability
Dry adiabatic lapse rate temperature
decreases due to lower pressure (ideal gas law)

dT
=
= 1.00 C/100 m = -5.4 F / 1000 ft
dz
Ambient (actual) lapse rate
< (temperature falls faster) unstable or
superadiabatic
> (temperature falls slower) stable or
subadiabatic
= (same rate) neutral

Neutral Conditions

Unstable Conditions

Stable Conditions

Example
Z(m)
2
318

T(C)
-3.05
-6.21

T T2 T1 6.21 ( 3.05)
=
=
= 0.0100 C/m
z z 2 z1
318 2

= 1.00 C/100 m
Since lapse rate = , atmosphere is neutral

Example
Z(m)
10
202

T(C)
5.11
1.09

T T2 T1 1.09 5.11
=
=
= 0.0209 C/m
z z 2 z1
202 10

= 2.09 C/100 m
Since lapse rate is more negative than ,
(-1.00 C/100 m), atmosphere is unstable

Example
Z(m)
18
286

T(C)
14.03
12.56

T T2 T1 12.56 14.03
=
=
= 0.0055 C/m
z z 2 z1
286 18
= 0.55 C/100 m

Since lapse rate more positive than ,

atmosphere is stable

Temperature Inversions
Extreme case of stability when lapse rate
is actually positive, i.e. temperature
increases with altitude
Resulting temperature inversion prevents
nearly all upward mixing

Why are these plumes so different?

Effect of Lapse Rate on Plumes

UNSTABLE

STABLE

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Inversion

Point Source Gaussian Plume

Model

Point Source Gaussian Plume

Model

Point Source Gaussian Plume

Model
Model Structure and Assumptions
pollutants released from a virtual point
source
advective transport by wind
dispersive transport (spreading) follows
normal (Gaussian) distribution away from
trajectory
constant emission rate

Point Source Gaussian Plume

Model
Model Structure and Assumptions (cont)
wind speed constant with time and elevation
pollutant is conservative (no reaction)
pollutant is reflected by ground
terrain is flat and unobstructed
uniform atmospheric stability

Point Source Gaussian Plume

Model
2
2

E
y

1
1
H
( x, y,0, H ) =
exp exp
s y s z u 2 s y 2 s z

Where = downwind concentration at

ground level (g/m3)
E = emission rate of pollutant (g/s)
sy,sz = plume standard deviations (m)
u = wind speed (m/s)
x, y, z, H = distances (m)

Point Source Gaussian Plume

Model Effective Stack Height
H = h + H
where
H = Effective stack height (m)
h = height of physical stack (m)
H = plume rise (m)

Point Source Gaussian Plume

Model Effective Stack Height
Hollands formula

Ts Ta
2
d
1.5 + 2.68 10 (P )

where vs = stack velocity (m/s)

d = stack diameter (m)
u = wind speed (m)
P = pressure (kPa)
Ts = stack temperature (K)
Ta = air temperature (K)
vs
H =
u

Point Source Gaussian Plume

Model Stability Categories

Point Source Gaussian Plume

Model Horizontal Dispersion
OR use Eq. 11-15
and Table 11-7

Use Fig. 11-18

Point Source Gaussian Plume

Model Vertical Dispersion
OR use Eq. 11-16
and Table 11-7

Use Fig. 11-19

Point Source Gaussian Plume

Model Wind Speed Correction
Unless the wind speed at the virtual stack
height is known, it must be estimated from the
ground wind speed

z2
u2 = u1
z1

where ux = wind speed at

elexation zx
p = empirical constant

Example
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 and b) 2 km downwind,
0.1 km off the centerline.

Example
1. Determine stability class
Assume wind speed is 4 km at ground
surface. Description suggests strong
solar radiation.
Stability class B

Example
2. Estimate the wind speed at the effective stack
height
Note: effective stack height given no need to
calculate using Hollands formula

z2
100
u2 = u1 = 4

10
z1

0.15

= 5.65 m/s

Example
3. Determine y and z
y = 290
z = 220

220
290

Example
4. Determine concentration using Eq 11-12
a. x = 2000, y = 0
2
2

80
1 0
1 100
C (2000,0) =
exp
exp

(290)(220)(5.6)
2 290
2 220

C (2000,0) = 6.43 10 5 g/m3 = 64.3 g/m 3

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

2
2

80
1 100
1 100
exp
C (2000,100) =
exp

(290)(220)(5.6)
2 290
2 220

C (2000,0) = 6.06 10 5 g/m3 = 60.6 g/m3

2. Air Pollution Control

Adsorption
Adsorption :
Control of principal polluting gas such as
sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, CO2 and
hydrocarbons
Passing stream of effluent gas through solid
porous material (adsorbent). The surface of
porous material attract and hold the gas by
physical or chemical adsorption

Adsorption

Absorption
Absorption
Absorption also known as scrubbing bringing
contaminated gas (absorbate or solute) into
contact with liquid absorbent (solvent)
One or more of the constituents of the effluent
gas are removed, treated or modified by the
liquid absorbent
The amount of gas absorbed will depend on
the properties of both gas and solvent

Absorption

Combustion
Particulates are
burned down by
having four basic
elements : oxygen,
temperature
(650oC), turbulence
(for mixing of
oxygen) and time

Cyclone
Dust laden gas
enters tangentially
Under influence of
centrifugal force
generated by
spinning gas, solid
particles thrown onto
walls and slide down
the walls into the
hopper

Filtration
Fabric filter system,
particulate laden gas
passed thru a woven
filter fabrics
Particulates are
trapped
Fabric must be
cleaned regularly to
remove trapped
particulates material
If not cleaned filter
can explode due to
build up of pressure

Electrostatic Precipitator
Low voltage two
staged units or High
Voltage single stage
unit
Particulate are given
negative charge and
attached themselves
to positive electrodes
and collected there
Extremely efficient up
to 99% removal

Liquid Scrubber

In wet cyclone scrubber, high pressure spray nozzle

generate fine spray that intercepts the small particles
entrained in the swirling gases. The particulate matter
thrown onto the wall by centrifugal force then drained into
collection sump

Sulfur Dioxide Control

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Catalytic Converter

Catalytic Converter
A catalytic converter is a vehicle emissions control
device which converts toxic byproducts of combustion in
the exhaust of an internal combustion engine to less toxic
substances by way of catalyzed chemical reactions.
The specific reactions vary with the type of catalyst
installed.
Most present-day vehicles that run on gasoline are fitted
with a three-way converter, so named because it
converts the three main pollutants in automobile exhaust:
carbon monoxide, unburned hydrocarbon and oxides of
nitrogen.
The first two undergo catalytic combustion and the last is
reduced back to nitrogen.

END