Effects of inhomogeneous ground-level pollutant sources under different wind directions

Research output: Journal Publications and ReviewsRGC 21 - Publication in refereed journalpeer-review

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Detail(s)

Original languageEnglish
Article number117903
Journal / PublicationEnvironmental Pollution
Volume289
Online published4 Aug 2021
Publication statusPublished - 15 Nov 2021

Abstract

Effects of source inhomogeneity on pollutant dispersion from a cubic building array are investigated as a function of the external wind direction. Using building-resolving large-eddy simulation, it is found that the results depend strongly on the source location and source uniformity inside a near-field region defined by a radius of homogenisation (RAD) based on the spatial autocorrelation of the pollutant concentration. The sensitivity of the RAD to the source location changes abruptly around 30° and is greatly reduced for wind angles between 30 and 45°, in agreement with velocity statistics and the mean horizontal streamlines. The optimal source allocation, which is a proxy for emissions from time-dependent traffic, also changes around 30°. This work clarifies the relationship between inhomogeneous velocity and pollutant statistics and may be applied to the formulation of traffic control policy.

Research Area(s)

  • Air pollution, Large-eddy simulation, Pollutant dispersion, Radius of homogenisation, Traffic