Effects of obstacles on the spread of a heavy gas-Wind tunnel simulations Article

Heidorn, KC, Murphy, MC, Irwin, PA et al. (1992). Effects of obstacles on the spread of a heavy gas-Wind tunnel simulations . Journal of Hazardous Materials, 30(2), 151-194. 10.1016/0304-3894(92)85077-E

cited authors

  • Heidorn, KC; Murphy, MC; Irwin, PA; Sahota, H; Misra, PK; Bloxam, R

abstract

  • The spread of a heavy gas cloud in terrain with obstacles has been studied in the wind tunnel. Observations were made at scales of 1:100 and 1:50 using video and photographic techniques; concentration measurements were obtained with a high frequency flame ionization detector. Several different obstacle configurations were examined. The results of flow visualization experiments in still air have been used to mathematically describe the spread rate using a box model approach. The addition of a term to the standard box model equation which accounted for the effects of block coverage fit the observations very well. It is argued that the major effect of the obstacles is to reduce the rate at which the hydrostatic pressure head declines and increases the path length over which the cloud must move rather than retarding the flow through friction or drag. © 1992.

authors

publication date

  • January 1, 1992

published in

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

start page

  • 151

end page

  • 194

volume

  • 30

issue

  • 2