Qualitative and Quantitative Investigation of Multiple Large Eddy Simulation Aspects for Pollutant Dispersion in Street Canyons Using OpenFOAM Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • Air pollution is probably the single largest environment risk to health and urban streets are the localized, relevant hotspots. Numerous studies reviewed the state-of-the-art models, proposed best-practice guidelines and explored, using various software, how different approaches (e.g., Reynolds-averaged NavierStokes (RANS), large eddy simulations (LES)) inter-compare. Open source tools are continuously attracting interest but lack of similar, extensive and comprehensive investigations. At the same time, their configuration varies significantly among the related studies leading to non-reproducible results. Therefore, the typical quasi-2D street canyon geometry was selected to employ the well-known open-source software OpenFOAM and to investigate and validate the main parameters affecting LES transient simulation of a pollutant dispersion. In brief, domain height slightly affected street level concentration but source height had a major impact. All sub-grid scale models predicted the velocity profiles adequately, but the k-equation SGS model best-resolved pollutant dispersion. Finally, an easily reproducible LES configuration is proposed that provided a satisfactory compromise between computational demands and accuracy.

published proceedings

  • ATMOSPHERE

altmetric score

  • 0.25

author list (cited authors)

  • Chatzimichailidis, A. E., Argyropoulos, C. D., Assael, M. J., & Kakosimos, K. E.

citation count

  • 24

complete list of authors

  • Chatzimichailidis, Arsenios E||Argyropoulos, Christos D||Assael, Marc J||Kakosimos, Konstantinos E

publication date

  • January 2019

publisher