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BioVapor Model Evaluation
Citation:
WEAVER, J. W. BioVapor Model Evaluation. Presented at EPA/OSWER/OUST sponsored meeting on petroleum vapor intrusion, Denver, CO, April 21 - 22, 2011.
Impact/Purpose:
Presentation for the EPA/OSWER/OUST sponsored meeting on petroleum vapor intrusion, Denver, Colorado, April 21-22, 2011
Description:
General background on modeling and specifics of modeling vapor intrusion are given. Three classical model applications are described and related to the problem of petroleum vapor intrusion. These indicate the need for model calibration and uncertainty analysis. Evaluation of BioVapor itself focussed on the impacts of parameter variation on the model results. Source strength, source depth, surface oxygen content, biodegradation rates, soil moisture content and air exchange rate are all shown to impact the modeled results. It is clear, however, that biodegradation-related parameters dominate the character of the results. For example, the air exchange rate can influence the indoor air concentration of benzene by an order of magnitude, but only under circumstances where the vapors do not biodegrade before entering the building. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through its Office of Research and Development funded the research described here. It has not been subjected to Agency review and therefore does not necessarily reflect the views of the Agency, and no official endorsement should be inferred. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.