Hazardous gas dispersion: a CFD model accounting for atmospheric stability classes

Area of Science:

• Environmental Engineering
• Computational Science
• Risk Assessment

Background:

• Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is increasingly used in industrial risk assessment, replacing integral models for complex scenarios.
• Existing commercial CFD codes lack specific turbulence models for atmospheric stratification, unlike integral models using the stability-class approach.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel approach for incorporating atmospheric stratification effects into CFD simulations.
• To enhance the accuracy of industrial risk assessments by accounting for atmospheric conditions.

Main Methods:

• Development of a new turbulence model or modification within CFD framework.
• Integration of atmospheric stratification features into the simulation.
• Validation of the developed approach using experimental data.

Main Results:

• The new approach successfully accounts for atmospheric stratification effects in CFD simulations.
• Validation against experimental data confirms the model's efficacy and accuracy.
• Demonstrated improvement over standard CFD models in simulating atmospheric phenomena.

Conclusions:

• The developed CFD approach provides a more accurate method for industrial risk assessment involving atmospheric stratification.
• This advancement enables more reliable safety evaluations in complex environmental conditions.
• The validated model offers a valuable tool for engineers and risk assessors.