Comparison between Non-Gaussian Puff Model and a Model Based on a Time-Dependent Solution of Advection-Diffusion Equation

Abstract

A comparison between a non-Gaussian puff model and an advanced time-dependent model to simulate the pollutant dispersion in the Planetary Boundary Layer is presented. The puff model is based on a general technique for solving the K-equation, using the truncated Gram-Charlier expansion (type A) of the concentration field and finite set equations for the corresponding moments. The other model (named ADMM: Analytical Dispersion Multilayers Model) is an semi- analytical solution to the time-dependent two-dimensional advection-diffusion equation based on a discretization of the PBL in N sub-layers; in each sub-layers the advection-diffusion equation is solved by the Laplace transform technique, considering an average value for eddy diffusivity and the wind speed. A preliminary performance evaluation is shown in the case of continuous emission from an elevated source in a variable boundary layer. Both models were able to correctly reproduce the concentration field measured and so to be used as operative air pollution models.