The influence of different mixing heights on the ECOSENSE model results at a local scale

doi:10.1016/j.envsoft.2004.05.005

Environmental Modelling & Software

Volume 20, Issue 7, July 2005, Pages 917-933

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2004.05.005 Get rights and content

Abstract

The ECOSENSE software has been created and applied as part of the European long term project called ExternE, a research program devoted to the assessment of external costs due to electricity production. The ECOSENSE model starts from the emission rates of a facility, calculates the yearly mean concentrations of the pollutants at the ground level on the basis of atmospheric dispersion models and characterises the subjects exposed to the pollutants in the considered area. After this, proper epidemiological exposure-response and toxicological dose-response functions are applied to determine the impact on the receptors. Finally, the methodology can monetise the calculated physical impact on the basis of selected economic evaluations. The aim of this study is to apply the software to real cases at a local scale and to compare the results based on different mixing height inputs, since the determination of this meteorological parameter is quite complex. Such a study is useful to have an idea of the sensitivity of the ECOSENSE model and make it a user-friendly instrument for administrations; this can help to create a harmonic approach to the problem of atmospheric pollution and impact evaluation. For specified facilities and meteorological conditions and, in particular, for a 100,000 t/y MSW incinerator, the mixing height can be approximated by a constant value of 1000 m throughout the year and the final results will have deviations that are lower than 10%.

Section snippets

Software availability

The software is available from the IER of the University of Stuttgart, Germany. More details of the software can be found at: http://externe.jrc.es/append.pdf and http://www.ier.uni-stuttgart.de/public/prodserv/tfu/ecosense/ecosense.html.

The ExternE methodology

The external costs can generally be divided into two categories:

1.
the costs of the negative effects of pollution on human health, climate, materials, forests and ecosystems, etc.;
2.
the costs or benefits that derive from the variations of occupational levels, from emission limiting policies, etc.

The evaluation techniques of externalities are divided into direct and indirect methods: as far as the external costs due to pollution are concerned, the direct techniques characterise the facility to be

The ECOSENSE model

The ECOSENSE software package (Krewitt et al., 1995, Heck et al., 1997) has been developed as part of the ExternE project to support and standardise the assessment of the environmental impact that derives from exposition to atmospheric pollutants; in particular, the impact on human health, crops, building materials, forests and ecosystems are considered. ECOSENSE 2.0 covers 13 pollutants, including the ‘classical’ pollutants SO₂, NO_x, particulates and CO, as well as some of the most important

Determination of the required atmospheric variables at a local scale

While the atmospheric dispersion modelling at a regional scale (throughout European) requires meteorological data that are all included in the software, the local scale analysis requires, for every given hour of the considered year, the following data:

•
wind direction (in degrees);
•
wind speed (in m/s);
•
ambient temperature (in K);
•
stability class (A=1, B=2, …, F=6);
•
rural mixing layer height (in m);
•
wind profile exponent;
•
vertical potential temperature gradient (in K/m).

The wind speed and direction and

Available data

Three facilities were employed to perform the sensitivity analysis of the ECOSENSE model:

(1) A coal fired power station in Lauffen, Germany, which produces 600 MW for 6500 h/y with the following emissive characteristics:

•
TSP emissions: 20 mg/Nm³
•
Flue gas volume: 1,720,740 Nm³/h
•
Flue gas temperature: 403.1 K
•
Stack height: 240 m
•
Stack diameter: 10 m
•
Name of the facility in the analysis: COAL

(2) A cement factory in Borgo San Dalmazzo, south Piedmont in Italy, which produces 1.300 t/d with the following

Sensitivity analysis

As previously mentioned, a sensitivity analysis is performed in the present chapter in order to determine the influence of the mixing height on the results of the ECOSENSE model at a local scale; to do this, three different facilities are studied and three different sites are taken into account. The impact on human health, due to TSP emissions, at a local scale has been chosen for the analysis in this paper.

Conclusions

The ECOSENSE model is very easy to use and can be adopted in different situations, but the implementation at a local scale requires several specific data concerning the meteorology of the site; it is in fact absolutely necessary to define the hourly values of wind speed, wind direction and ambient temperature. In the case where profile measurements are not available, the atmospheric stability class can be obtained by means of conventional classifications, such as the Pasquill-Gifford approach,

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The influence of different mixing heights on the ECOSENSE model results at a local scale

Abstract

Section snippets

Software availability

The ExternE methodology

The ECOSENSE model

Determination of the required atmospheric variables at a local scale

Available data

Sensitivity analysis

Conclusions

Atmospheric Environment

Atmospheric Environment

Atmospheric Environment

Effetti epidemiologici del particolato atmosferico e metodi di stima dell'esposizione

Ingegneria Ambientale

Environmental External Costs of Transports