Wind tunnel study of plume dispersion with varying source emission configurations

Abstract

The concentration fields in the proximities of a local gas emission source are experimentally analyzed in several combinations of wind incidences and source emissions. These conditions are determined by the plume buoyancy, emission velocity and incident flow wind speed. Concentration measurements are performed by an aspirating probe in a boundary layer wind tunnel. The analysis included the mean concentration values and the intensity of concentration fluctuations in a neutral atmospheric boundary layer flow. Different configurations are tested: an isolated stack in a homogeneous terrain and a stack with a bluff body in close proximity, located windward and leeward from the emission source. The experimental mean concentration values are contrasted with Gaussian profiles and the dilution factor is analyzed with respect to the empirical curves of the minimum dilution Finally, a study on the plume intermittency is performed in a cross-sectional plane near the emission source. It is possible to highlight the following observations: a) plume vertical asymmetry in the case of an isolated emission source, b) significant differences in the dispersion process related to the relative location of the emission source and bluff body effects, and c) different probabilistic behavior of the concentration fluctuation data in a cross-sectional measurement plane inside the plume.