Large-Eddy Simulation of Reactive Pollutant Dispersion Over Street Canyons of Different Aspect Ratios

Author(s):  
T. Z. Du ◽  
Chun-Ho Liu ◽  
Y. B. Zhao

In urban areas, pollutants are emitted from vehicles then disperse from the ground level to the downstream urban canopy layer (UCL) under the effect of the prevailing wind. For a hypothetical urban area in the form of idealized street canyons, the building-height-to-street-width (aspect) ratio (AR) changes the ground roughness which in turn leads to different turbulent airflow features. Turbulence is considered an important factor for the removal of reactive pollutants by means of dispersion/dilution and chemical reactions. Three values of aspect ratio, covering most flow scenarios of urban street canyons, are employed in this study. The pollutant dispersion and reaction are calculated using large-eddy simulation (LES) with chemical reactions. Turbulence timescale and reaction timescale at every single point of the UCL domain are calculated to examine the pollutant removal. The characteristic mechanism of reactive pollutant dispersion over street canyons will be reported in the conference.

2011 ◽  
Vol 142 (2) ◽  
pp. 289-304 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xian-Xiang Li ◽  
Rex E. Britter ◽  
Leslie K. Norford ◽  
Tieh-Yong Koh ◽  
Dara Entekhabi

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-91
Author(s):  
T. Z. Du ◽  
C.-H. Liu ◽  
Y. B. Zhao

Abstract. In this study, the dispersion of chemically reactive pollutants is calculated by large-eddy simulation (LES) in a neutrally stratified urban canopy layer (UCL) over urban areas. As a pilot attempt, idealized street canyons of unity building-height-to-street-width (aspect) ratio are used. Nitric oxide (NO) is emitted from the ground surface of the first street canyon into the domain doped with ozone (O3). In the absence of ultraviolet radiation, this irreversible chemistry produces nitrogen dioxide (NO2), developing a reactive plume over the rough urban surface. A range of timescales of turbulence and chemistry are utilized to examine the mechanism of turbulent mixing and chemical reactions in the UCL. The Damköhler number (Da) and the reaction rate (r) are analyzed along the vertical direction on the plane normal to the prevailing flow at 10 m after the source. The maximum reaction rate peaks at an elevation where Damköhler number Da is equal or close to unity. Hence, comparable timescales of turbulence and reaction could enhance the chemical reactions in the plume.


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