A Self-Adapting Model for Assessing Hazardous Environmental Releases

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

3-1-2008

Publication Title

Natural Hazards

Volume

44

Issue

3

First page number:

387

Last page number:

397

Abstract

Simulation results are presented by using an h-adaptive mass consistent finite element method (FEM) coupled with a Lagrangian particle transport technique (LPT) for dispersion associated with hazardous atmospheric releases. A three-dimensional wind field is first constructed from the adaptive FEM model. Lagrangian particles that define the contaminant dispersion are then produced with the LPT scheme, employing a random walk/stochastic approach. The application of FEM permits flow patterns with irregular geometries to be easily simulated, while the LPT permits contaminant particle dispersion patterns to be quickly depicted. The hybrid model is fast, runs on PCs, and appears well suited for emergency response dispersion predictions and assessment.

Keywords

Air – Pollution; Atmospheric diffusion; Emergency response; FEM; Finite element method; H-adaptation; Hazardous dispersion; Mass consistent; Particle size determination; Pollutants – Transportation

Disciplines

Civil and Environmental Engineering | Environmental Monitoring | Environmental Sciences | Fluid Dynamics | Mechanical Engineering

Language

English

Permissions

Use Find in Your Library, contact the author, or interlibrary loan to garner a copy of the item. Publisher policy does not allow archiving the final published version. If a post-print (author's peer-reviewed manuscript) is allowed and available, or publisher policy changes, the item will be deposited.

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