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A FRAMEWORK FOR FINE-SCALE COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS AIR QUALITY MODELING AND ANALYSIS
Citation:
HUBER, A. H. A FRAMEWORK FOR FINE-SCALE COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS AIR QUALITY MODELING AND ANALYSIS. Presented at 5th Annual CMAS Models-3 User's Conference, Chapel Hill, NC, October 16 - 18, 2006.
Impact/Purpose:
The objectives of this task are to continue development and improvement of EPA's mesoscale (regional through urban scale) air quality modeling systems, such as the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model, as air quality management and NAAQS implementation tools. This task focuses on needed research and development of air quality models targeted for a major CMAQ model release in FY08. Model development for a broad scope of application is envisioned. For example, CMAQ will need to be able to simulate air quality feedbacks to meteorology and climate as well as intercontinental transport. The 2008 release of CMAQ is timed to coincide with EPA/OAR's and the states' needs for an improved model for assessments of progress (mid-course corrections) in the post-SIP submittal timeframe.
Description:
Fine-scale Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation of pollutant concentrations within roadway and building microenvironments is feasible using high performance computing. Unlike currently used regulatory air quality models, fine-scale CFD simulations are able to account rigorously for topographical details such as terrain variations and building structures in urban areas as well as their local aerodynamics and turbulence. Thermal heat fluxes may be added to terrain and building surfaces to simulate the thermal atmospheric boundary layer and their influences on pollution transport and dispersion. The results of these CFD simulations can both be directly used to better understand specific case studies as well as be used to support the development of better-simplified algorithms for adoption into other modeling systems. This oral presentation with sldies discusses a framework for fine-scale CFD modeling that may be developed to complement the present Community Multi-scale Air Quality (CMAQ) modeling system which itself is a computational fluid dynamics model. A goal of this presentation is to stimulate discussions on what is "Computational Fluid Dynamics" modeling and how can it evolve to support the critical needs for modeling human exposures to air pollutants. Related mathematical equations and their solutions cannot begin to be covered herein and thus no equations are presented.