Title: Inverting time dependent concentration signals to estimate pollutant emissions in case of accidental or deliberate release

Authors: Nabil Ben Salem; Lionel Soulhac; Pietro Salizzoni; Patrick Armand

Addresses: Laboratoire de Mécanique des Fluides et d'Acoustique, Université de Lyon CNRS, Ecole Centrale de Lyon, INSA Lyon, France; Université Claude Bernard Lyon I, 36 avenue Guy de Collongue, 69134 Ecully, France ' Laboratoire de Mécanique des Fluides et d'Acoustique, Université de Lyon CNRS, Ecole Centrale de Lyon, INSA Lyon, France; Université Claude Bernard Lyon I, 36 avenue Guy de Collongue, 69134 Ecully, France ' Laboratoire de Mécanique des Fluides et d'Acoustique, Université de Lyon CNRS, Ecole Centrale de Lyon, INSA Lyon, France; Université Claude Bernard Lyon I, 36 avenue Guy de Collongue, 69134 Ecully, France ' Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives, CEA-DAM, DIF Bruyères le Châtel, France

Abstract: We test the reliability of an inverse model to estimate the amount of mass released instantaneously by a source of pollutant in a turbulent boundary layer. To that purpose we use wind tunnel experiments simulating the dispersion of puffs due to the impulsive release of pollutant. For each of these emissions we recorded time dependent signals at fixed receptors. These single signals have been used as input data for an inverse dispersion model in order to evaluate its error in estimating the real emission of pollutant. The inversion has been also performed using the ensemble average of the 100 signals as input data. The comparison of both approaches allows us to discuss the reliability of an atmospheric dispersion inverse model in real situations.

Keywords: inverse modelling; accidental release; deliberate release; risk management; atmospheric dispersion modelling; time dependent concentration signals; pollutant emissions; air pollution; air quality; model reliability; turbulent boundary layers; simulation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEP.2014.065908

International Journal of Environment and Pollution, 2014 Vol.55 No.1/2/3/4, pp.86 - 93

Published online: 17 Dec 2014 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article