Development of a Spreadsheet for Computing Downwind Concentrations Based on the USEPA's AERMOD Model

摘要

Atmospheric dispersion models have evolved rapidly over a period of time since the passage of the United States Clean Air Act in 1970. The use of atmospheric dispersion models in predicting downwind contaminant concentrations from industrial sources has been increasing with growing public concern on air pollution around the world. These models help industrial facilities determine if they are in compliance with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) or not. A typical dispersion model estimates contaminant concentrations based on mathematical equations that include variables related to atmospheric conditions, geographical conditions, characteristics of the facility, and properties of contaminants emitted from an industrial source. There are numerous air pollutant dispersion models that range from simple box models to numerical fluid dynamics models to help predict downwind contaminant concentrations from different sources as follows: point source, area source, and volume source.