Large-eddy simulation of reactive plume dispersion over hypothetical urban areas

Abstract

Air pollution poses major threat to premature mortality (Lelieveld, Evans, Fnais, Giannadaki, Pozzer, Nature, 525:367–371, (2015), [8]) but its levels over 80% of cities are unhealthy (WHO: WHOs urban ambient air pollution database - update 2016. In: World Health Organization (2016). www.who.int/phe, Cited 1 July 2017, [15]). Although large-scale computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models are the common research solutions to detailed air quality studies (Russell, Annu Rev Energy Environ, 22:537–588, (1997), [12]), analytical models offer quick screening tools that are surrogates for prohibitively expensive sensitivity tests in practice (Moonen, Allegrini, Environ Model Softw, 72:77–91, (2015), [9]). The Gaussian models, which are analytical tools developed based on open terrain and chemically inert pollutants, have been well received in the industry for decades (Roberts, Proc Roy Soc Lond A, 104:640–654, (1923), [11]). Their results for chemically reactive pollutants over urban areas must be interpreted cautiously.