Addis Ababa Science and Technology University

Biological and Chemical Engineering

4th Year Environmental Engineering Students
Software applications for Environmental Engineering

Introduction

Bimrew B. (M.Sc.)
 Objectives
Concepts
– What is modeling?

– How do we choose what to model?

– What kinds of things do we model?

– How can we characterize models?

– How can we break up and organize models?

– How can we evaluate models and modeling notations?

– So what is the outcome of model?

 1.Air Pollutant modeling in the atmosphere
1. 1 Introduction

Source of Pollutant Atmospheric

Chemistry

Natural
Numerical Pollutant
Routines Distributions
• Volcanic Emissions
eruption Inputs Meteorological Effects
• Forest fire Fields
• Pollen etc Emissions Health
Anthropogenic Modeling Meteorological
Economics
• Industrial Modeling
Inputs:
• Agricultural Population Inputs: Visualization
Roads Topography
• Vehicles
Land Use Observed Political
Industry Meteorology
Meteorology Solar insolation
 1.Air Pollutant modeling in the atmosphere

1.1 Types of Pollutant Sources

❖ Point Sources

• e.g., Stacks or vents

❖ Line Sources
• e.g., Vehicles(car, motorcycle, airplane etc)

❖ Area Sources

• e.g., Landfills, ponds, storage piles

❖ Volume Sources

• e.g., Conveyors, structures with multiple vents

 1.Air Pollutant modeling in the atmosphere
1. 1 Introduction cont.……
1.2 Factors Affecting Dispersion of Pollutants In The
Atmosphere
Two types of parameters influence pollutant dispersion
a. Source Characteristics(parameters)
Concentrations are proportional to the amount of pollutant
which is emitted.
Emission rate of pollutant
Stack height
Exit velocity of the gas
Exit temperature of the gas
Stack diameter
Gasoline powered cars vs. light trucks
 1.Air Pollutant modeling in the atmosphere

Diesel powered heavy-duty vehicles and fuel analysis

Source testing and emission factors

• Basic Equation

Pop*Activity*Emissions = tons/day

• Number of Sources (vehicle population)

• Activity (miles or kilometer per vehicle)

• Emission Rate (grams per mi. or km.)

 1.Air Pollutant modeling in the atmosphere

b. Meteorological Conditions
Wind velocity
Wind direction
Ambient temperature
Atmospheric stability
1. Air Pollutant modeling in the atmosphere

Wind speed and direction

How wind affects pollutant?

✓ Disperse pollutants

✓spreading of atmospheric constituents

✓Dilution process

✓Molecular diffusion

✓Atmospheric turbulence
 1.Air Pollutant modeling in the atmosphere

Pollutant transport

Movement of pollutants from one area to another

by the wind.

– Neighborhood scale: monitor to monitor

– Regional scale: city to city and state to state

– National scale: country to country.

– Global scale: continent to continent

 1.Air Pollutant modeling in the atmosphere

Temperature

➢ Temperature and sunlight (solar radiation) play an

important role in the chemical reactions.

➢ As temperature of the emitted higher than the ambient

air, dispersion of the source pollutant increase.

➢ If the temperature of the ambient environment higher

than the source emitted pollutant, the dispersion of
pollutant will be lower.
 1.Air Pollutant modeling in the atmosphere

Humidity

➢ Water vapour roles thermal and photochemical reactions

in the atmosphere.

➢ Water molecules attached to particles suspended in the

air, which increase the amount concentration

➢ Relative humidity in the atmosphere is highly variable—it

depends on geographic location.

➢ Relative humidity is higher in the mooring time and

summer
 1.Air Pollutant modeling in the atmosphere
Atmosphere Stability

➢ The ability of air to resist atmospheric motions

➢ If the air parcels tend to sink back to their initial level after
the lifting exerted on them stops, the atmosphere is stable.

➢ If the air parcels tend to rise vertically on their own, even

when the lifting exerted on them stops, the atmosphere is
unstable.

➢ If the air parcels tend to remain where they are after lifting
stops, the atmosphere is neutral.
 1.Air Pollutant modeling in the atmosphere

Rainfall

➢ Rain has a 'scavenging' effect when it washes

particulate matter out of the atmosphere

➢ Dissolves gaseous pollutants.

➢ If the rain dissolves gaseous pollutants, such as sulfur

dioxide, it can form acid rain resulting in potential
damage to materials or vegetation.
 1.Air Pollutant modeling in the atmosphere

Solar radiation

➢ Intensity of sunlight has an important influence on the

rate of the chemical reactions that produce the smog.

➢ The cloudiness of the sky, time of day and geographic

location all affect sunlight intensity.

➢ Solar radiation influence the scattering of particles in the

earth’s surface and atmosphere.
 2. Air Quality Modeling (AQM)

❖ Predict pollutant concentrations at various locations

❖ Identify source contribution to air quality problems.

❖ Assess source impacts and design control strategies.

❖ Predict future pollutant concentrations from sources after

implementation of new regulatory programs.

❖ Mathematical and numerical techniques are used in

AQM to simulate the dispersion of air pollutants.
2. Air Quality Modeling (AQM)

❖ Modeling of the dispersion of pollutants

– Toxic and odorous substances

– Single or multiple points

– Point, Area, or Volume sources

❖ Input data required for Air Quality Modeling

– Source characteristics

– Meteorological conditions

– Site and surrounding conditions

 2. Air Quality Modeling (AQM)

Dispersion modeling

➢ It is a mathematical simulation , how air pollutants disperse

in the ambient atmosphere.

➢ Dispersion models are important to governmental agencies

tasked with protecting and managing the ambient air quality.

➢ Determine whether existing or proposed new industrial

facilities are or will be in compliance with the National
Ambient Air Quality Standards
 2. Air Quality Modeling (AQM)…..
Gaussian Plume Air Dispersion Model
SCREEN3

• SCREEN3 is a single source Gaussian plume model which

provides maximum ground-level concentrations for point,
area, and volume sources.

TSCREEN

• Toxics Screening Model (TSCREEN) is a Gaussian model

that implements to correctly analyze toxic emissions and
their subsequent dispersion from one of many different types.

• It contains 3 models: SCREEN3, PUFF, and RVD (Relief

Valve Discharge).
 2. Air Quality Modeling (AQM)…..
AERMOD View
➢ AERMOD View is our most commonly used air
dispersion model
➢ Applicable to a wide range of buoyant or neutrally
buoyant emissions up to a range of 50km.
➢ Used in combination of line, area, volume and line-area
and area volume sources
➢ AERMOD is also suitable for complex terrain and urban
dispersion scenarios.
 2. Air Quality Modeling (AQM)…..

Atmospheric Radionuclide ARTM View

Transport Model
➢ Its an ergonomical and intuitive
graphical user-interface model

➢ Calculates the dispersion and

deposition of released airborne
radioactive materials in the
atmosphere.
 2. Air Quality Modeling (AQM

Long Range Transport Puff Air Dispersion Model

CALPUFF View
➢ Its a non-steady state Gaussian puff model,

➢ Suitable for long range transport, atmospheric chemistry,

visibility and scenarios

➢ Used in complex wind fields, such as coastal and

complex terrain areas.
 2. Air Quality Modeling (AQM)…..
Gaussian Plume Air Dispersion Model…

Lagrangian Particle Tracking

Air Dispersion Model

➢ AUSTAL View is a
Lagrangian particle tracer
model. Widely used in
Germany,

➢ AUSTAL is capable of
modeling complex wind
fields and transient behavior.
 2. Air Quality Modeling (AQM)

Traffic Air Dispersion Model

CALRoads View is a traffic

dispersion model.

➢ Specifically designed for

modeling emissions from
vehicles.

➢ CALRoads can model timed

intersections, parking lots and
account from traffic patterns.
 2. Air Quality Modeling (AQM)
AERMOD model setup

In the environmental system, AERMOD has five pathways

Control pathway

AERMOD is operated through the consecutive steps

• Opened new project at the center point

• Coordinate system in the World geodetic system

• Length of the project areas

Source pathway

• Parameter excel sheet as a template format in the selected station

Average building height,

• width along the flow, and cross-flow were considered

2. Air Quality Modeling (AQM)
AERMOD model setup
Receptor pathway

• The number of receptor assigned as a default equals to

the number of sampling point

• Use the user-defined of the average human height of

1.5m.

• Bothe uniform and non uniform Cartesian and flat or non

flat terrains
2. Air Quality Modeling (AQM)
AERMOD model setup
Meteorological pathway

• AERMET software is used as an independent variable of

AERMOD input value

• AERMET meteorological preprocessing of data used as a output

surface file (SFC) and Profile file (PFL) format

• AERMET input data file.

• The main data processed by AERMET were wind speed, wind

direction, relative humidity, precipitation, dry temperature, and
cloud cover
2. Air Quality Modeling (AQM)
2. Air Quality Modeling (AQM)
AERMOD model setup

Output pathway

• Overall process from the projection to metadata

crosscheck

• Run weather or not progression accomplish

followed by verification of run based
 2. Air Quality Modeling (AQM)
Land-Use Regression Model(LUR)

➢ Predict monitoring air pollution data with Geographic

Information System (GIS)-based.

➢ LUR modeling is used to determine how air quality

concentration is determined due to the obstacle of
things.

➢ “I know something about air quality at this location

and I know land-use of at this area, so how can I use
this to predict air quality?”
 2. Air Quality Modeling (AQM)

Imput parameters for LUR model

➢ Road type and length

➢ Residential and Industrial areas

➢ Commercial and Constitutional areas

➢ Population density

➢ Meteorological parameters
 2. Air Quality Modeling (AQM)
Model calibration and validation
Model Calibration

• Identify most sensitive parameters define ‘reasonable’ ranges

for parameters

• Select an objective function

• Parameters are used as input to the mathematical models

to produce numerical output

• Should have a good definition and a physical basis for the

environmental system studied
 2. Air Quality Modeling (AQM)
Model calibration and validation

Model Calibration

• Parameters can be input to a model to yield the best

outcome when compared to an observation made in
a field or laboratory study

• Calibration (continued), in short, ‘calibration’ usually

means optimizing the set of parameters P, or a subset
P*, on one or more objective functions that we hope
capture the system behavior we care about
 2. Air Quality Modeling (AQM)

Model validation

• The goal of validation is to assess whether the model

behaves reasonably closely to the real system

• If we have ‘calibrated’ the model we already know how

well the model, reproduces system behavior under the
initial and boundary conditions of calibration

• The objective function of simulation model ,developed

using as independent variables