Analysis of Plume Rise Data from Five TVA Steam Plants

Abstract

A large data set containing the measurements of the rise of plumes emitted by five TVA steam plants was examined. Particular attention was paid to the problem of the merging of the plumes emitted by adjacent stacks and to the role played by the wind angle in this respect. It was demonstrated that there is a noticeable rise enhancement of merged plumes with respect to single emissions, both in neutral and in stable conditions, as far as transversal and parallel plumes are concerned. For plumes advected normal to the row of the stacks the enhancement is noticeable only in the final stage of rise. The existence of a critical angle for merging suggested by Briggs was examined. Finally, a formula to describe plume rise in the transitional and in the final phase, both in neutral and stable conditions, is proposed; it was obtained by interpolation of two familiar Briggs' equations.