Comparative Study of 3D Numerical and Puff Models for Dense Air Pollutants

Abstract

To prepare for a chemical emergency response program in those industrial cities that might involve a release of chemical contaminants to the atmosphere, we have adopted a series of source emission models and a three-dimensional atmospheric model along with its companion diffusion module for predicting the dispersion and concentrations of these hazardous chemicals with various types of release scenarios. The three-dimensional atmospheric model predicts the wind, temperature, and turbulence fields in which the physical processes associated with terrain, clouds, radiation, and surface vegetation are included. The analytical framework is designed by the fact that the diffusion module uses the estimated release rate from a source emission model and the predicted winds and turbulence conditions from the atmospheric model to compute particle trajectories, concentrations, and dosages in the area of a release. In addition, the model results have been coupled with the geographical information system, which may be used for risk assessment at the urban industrial area of south Taiwan by emergency planners.