Mathematics and Computers in Simulation 67 (2004) 451–458

Application of Gaussian plume models for air pollution

simulation at instantaneous emissions
N.Kh. Arystanbekova∗
Space Research Institute, 15 Shevchenko str., Almaty 480100, Kazakhstan
Available online 8 September 2004

Abstract

In this paper there is proposed analytical Gaussian model for diagnosis and prognosis of atmospheric pollution
level at damage emissions. The models of Gauss are very widely used to estimate local pollution levels. The program
complex has been realized on FORTRAN language of high level. The model reads its input data from GIS files and
produces its outputs in a format acceptable by GIS.
© 2004 IMACS. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Gaussian plume models; Air pollution; Geoinformation system; Instantaneous source; Concentration field

Instantaneous (damage) emissions are the accidents on industrial enterprises and power stations, accidents
on oil deposits and oil conduits, space rockets launches and so on. Technogenic streams from such
emissions pollute the atmosphere, soil, underground and surface water, vegetation cover and impact
environment.
Simulation of atmosphere pollution at damage emissions allows to define spreading area, reveal scales
and level of pollution, give prognostic estimations, etc.
In this paper there is proposed analytical Gaussian model for diagnosis and prognosis of atmospheric
pollution level at damage emissions. The models of Gauss are very widely used to estimate local pollution
levels. They are based on analytical formulas of plume distribution. Mathematical models of Gauss are
the basic one for pollutants spreading investigation and are recommended by IAEA [1].

∗
Tel.: +7 3272 939360; fax: +7 3272 918077.
E-mail address: ikikz@yandex.ru.

0378-4754/$30.00 © 2004 IMACS. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

doi:10.1016/j.matcom.2004.06.023
452 N.Kh. Arystanbekova / Mathematics and Computers in Simulation 67 (2004) 451–458

The transfer and diffusion of pollutants from instantaneous point source are described by
advective–diffusive equation:
∂C
+ div(CV ) = ∇(K∇C) + Ri + Qδ(t − t0 )δ(x − x0 )δ(y − y0 )δ(z − z0 ) (1)
∂t
where C(x, y, z, t) is the mass concentration of pollutant; V the wind velocity vector; K the turbulent
diffusivites tensor; R the chemical and photochemical transformation of pollution; Q the source term, t0
the time the accident happens, x0 , y0 , z0 the emission source coordinates.
At constant wind velocity and turbulent diffusivities values Eq. (1) has an analytical solution which is
written in the form of Gaussian normal distribution.
So, the concentration values C of pollutants to be emitted by point instantaneous source of H height
are described by the normal (Gaussian) distribution law:
Q
e−(x−ut) /2σx e−(y−vt) /2σy (e−(z−h−wt) /2σz + e−(z+2H+h−wt) /2σz )
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
C(x, y, z, t) = (2)
(2π) σx σy σz
3/2

where t is the time, Q the source emission, u, v, w the wind velocity’s components, σ x , σ y , σ z the
horizontal and vertical dispersions, h the stack height and H the mixing layer height.
As a rule in Gaussian models there is supposed that axis of abscissae (i.e. OX) coincides with wind
direction and coordinates initial point is located in the stack’s socle. Then in Eq. (2) v = w = 0 and the
equation is transformed as follows:
Q
e−(x−ut) /2σx e−y /2σy (e−(z−H) /2σz + e−(z+H) /2σz )
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
C(x, y, z, t) = (3)
(2π) σx σy σz
3/2

From Eq. (3) it is seen that every stack is calculated in individual coordinates, this is a matter of some
difficulty because we need several coordinate systems when we calculate pollution levels from different
sources. So, Eq. (3) should be modified for the case of single coordinate system by the coordinates
transformation.
Let us consider the Cartesian coordinates, the point I is the stack and its coordinates are defined as ξ
and η (see Fig. 1). Let us introduce the second coordinates system initial point to be placed in I, axis of
abscissae IX is directed in wind direction. The angle between Ox and wind direction is determined as α.
Then due to the formulae of coordinates transformation from the XIY system to the xOy system, we can
obtain the X and Y coordinates forsome point M:

Fig. 1. Coordinate axes turning.

 N.Kh. Arystanbekova / Mathematics and Computers in Simulation 67 (2004) 451–458 453

X = x cos β + y sin β = (x − ξ) cos β + (y − η) sin β,

Y = −x sin β + y cos β = −(x − ξ) sin β + (y − η) cos β

We are interested in y coordinate only, so accounting for that angle α is being counted against the
clockwise and is equal to 360◦ − β, we receive the final formula:

Y = (x − ξ) sin α + (y − η) cos α (4)

Let us substitute in (4) the expressions of sin α and cos α through wind velocity components u and v
and obtain the calculating formula for estimation of concentration of pollutant from point source in fixed
coordinate system:
Q 2
e−((x−x0 )u−(y−y0 )v−(u +v )(t−t0 )) /2σx (u +v )
2 2 2 2 2
C(x, y, z, t) =
(2π) σx σy σz
3/2

× e−((x−x0 )v+(y−y0 )u) /2σy (u +v ) (e−(z−(z0 +h)) /2σz + e−(z−(z0 +h)+2H) /2σz )
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
(5)

where t is the time, t0 the emission time, Q the intensity of source, u, v the wind velocity components,
σ x , σ y , σ z the horizontal and vertical standard deviations, H the mixing layer height, x0 , y0 , z0 the source
coordinates, h the effective stack height (i.e. the height of plume rising plus stack height).
Estimation of σ y and σ z is an important moment in Gaussian models. As a rule there are used the
Pasquill-Gifford curves [2] or power approximation to be very convenient for calculation formulae creation
[3,4], in this case power’s exponent depends on atmosphere stability’s class.
In this model the Briggs’ formulae for open country or city have been chosen to define the semi-width
of plume, i.e. σy and σz [5]. The formulae are given in Table 1.
The classes of atmosphere stability are shown in Table 2.

Table 1
Briggs’ formulae for defining of plume semi-width
Atmosphere stability class in σ x , σ y (m) σ z (m)
accordance with Pasquill
Open country
A 0.22x(1 + 0.0001x)−1/2 0.2x
B 0.16x(1 + 0.0001x)−1/2 0.12x
C 0.11x(1 + 0.0001x)−1/2 0.08x(1 + 0.0002x)−1/2
D 0.08x(1 + 0.0001x)−1/2 0.06x(1 + 0.0015x)−1/2
E 0.06x(1 + 0.0001x)−1/2 0.03x(1 + 0.0003x)−1
F 0.04x(1 + 0.0001x)−1/2 0.016x(1 + 0.0003x)−1
City
A–B 0.32x(1 + 0.0004x)−1/2 0.24x(1 + 0.001x)
C 0.22x(1 + 0.0004x)−1/2 0.2x
D 0.16x(1 + 0.0004x)−1/2 0.14x(1 + 0.0003x)−1/2
E–F 0.11x(1 + 0.0004x)−1/2 0.08x(1 + 0.0015x)−1/2

Here x is the distance from the stack along plume axe.

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Table 2
Atmosphere stability classes in accordance with Pasquill [6]
Wind velocity on height of 10 m (m/s) Daytime, incoming solar radiation Night, cloudiness

Strong Moderate Weak Clouded Cloudless

<2 A A–B B E F
2–3 A–B B C E F
3–5 B B–C C D E
5–6 C C–D D D D
>6 C D D D D

The modern technique for plume rising calculation are available enough. This caused by relative
simplicity of correspondent theoretical researches and availability in observations carrying out. At the
first stage of emission the momentum and buoyancy forces prevail over ambient air turbulence, it may
cause significant plume rising especially at neutral and unstable stratification [7]. The height of the emitted
substance lift plus the stack’s height is called an effective source height.
Three types of parameters determine gas outflow from a source. They are as follows—stack’s charac-
teristics (mainly, its diameter), meteorological conditions and chemical features of emitted substance.
At present time a lot of formulae are developed to estimate the effective height [8–10,2].
The Briggs’ formula is the mostly used one for determining of plume rising height in stable atmosphere
[11]:

1/3
F
h = h + 2.6 (6)
uS
where h is the plume rising height, h the height of stack, u the wind velocity at stack height level, F
the parameter of buoyancy, S the parameter of atmospheric stratification.
Parameter of buoyancy F is determined as follows:
g(Ts − Ta )Vs ds2
F= (7)
4Ts
where g is the acceleration of gravity, Ts the emission’s temperature, Ta the ambient air temperature, Vs
the emission velocity, ds the stack’s diameter.

Fig. 2. Interaction between GIS and the model.

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Fig. 3. Concentration field at the moment of emission.

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Fig. 4. Concentration field after 42 min.

 N.Kh. Arystanbekova / Mathematics and Computers in Simulation 67 (2004) 451–458 457

Parameter of atmospheric stratification depends on potential temperature’s gradient θ a :

g ∂θa
S=
θa ∂t
In convective or neutral conditions plume rising height is approximated by the following equation [12]:

3/5
F
h = 30 (8)
u
where parameters F and u has the same meaning as in formula (6).
Studying of more than 30 formulae showed that those of the Briggs are mostly acceptable because
they use the very available information about emission sources.
The program complex has been realized on FORTRAN language of high level and consists in the
following routines:
• SIGY and SIGZ—defining of standard deviations;
• WIND—reading of wind direction and velocity to the moment of emission;
• RBD1—reading from the attribute information file the emission characteristics, namely source coor-
dinates, emission value and parameters of stack;
• G2—the program of concentration field calculation.
There are different forms of integration of the model and GIS. In this paper we use the mostly applied
and the simplest one. In this case the model and GIS are two separate systems. The connection between
them is conducted by file exchange. So, the model reads its input data from GIS files (the information
about source) and produces its outputs in a format acceptable by GIS (see Fig. 2).
GIS “Almaty” has cartographic and semantic data bases. To present cartographic information there is
applied layer principle of data. That is all objects are divided into thematic layers, for instance, streets,
highways, landscape, water objects and so on. Every layer is one or several coverage containing the
information of one type: railway, streets, rivers, lakes, parks, gardens, sources of pollution, etc.
Semantic data base is presented as system attributive tables (*.VAT, *.PAT, *.AAT). These tables contain
an information about objects of different configuration (point, linear, square). In the case of sources this
information is as follows: its location, emission value for different substances, parameters of the stack
and so on.
Let us locate the possible source of pollution into the point on the map of the city and with the means of
ARCINFO software create the semantic data base for this source. Let us choose the given wind regime and
calculate the concentration fields after instantaneous emission. The results of calculation are visualized
on the map of the city. In Figs. 3 and 4 are shown the concentration fields on two moments of time.

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