a Chemical Engineering 357 Professors Allen and Durrenberger Plume Classification “Plume Rise” by G. A. Briggs pages 12 to 15 By the end of today’s lecture you should: ¢ Understand the way temperature affects plumes from stacks Know the five basic plume types Outline: I. Temperature profile in the atmosphere I. Plume classification scheme Il. Application of plume classification scheme to photos of actual plumesI. Temperature profile in the atmosphere . The dry adiabatic lapse rate defines the change in temperature in the atmosphere that normally occurs with change of elevation. This rate is a decrease in temperature of about 1 degree C per 100 meters (5.4 degrees F per 1,000 feet). A layer in which the temperature increases with elevation is called an inversion. In an inversion layer the air will not tend to rise vertically. Normally at night due to radiation cooling of the surface, an inversion forms with its base near the surface. After the sun rises, the surface is heated forming convective eddies that penetrate higher as the ground warms up. Thus the inversion layer rises above the surface. The bottom of the inversion layer is called the mixing height. This means that the atmosphere is well mixed in the layer between the surface and mixing height.* Actual conditions can be related to the dry adiabatic lapse tate to evaluate the behavior of air masses. There are many combinations of conditions that can occur, but the names for plume behavior have been attached to five most important sets of conditions. These are described in a number of texts on air pollution in various ways. The approach taken by Briggs is perhaps the best and is based on the typical way the atmosphere changes during the day. I. Plume classification scheme The five plume types are: Fanning © Fumigation ¢ Coning © Looping © Lofting Each of these five plume types will be illustrated with a graphic of a tall power plant stack. Then we will examine photos of actual plumes and classify them.Fanning On clear nights the ground radiates heat and most of it passes to space. The surface is cooler than the air above it, so an inversion forms with the bottom being near the surface. This forms a stable layer from the surface to as much as several thousand feet above the surface. In this layer air masses do not tend to move vertically. The typical vertical profile is shown in the figure. Plumes quickly loose their buoyancy (due to stack temperature) and level off. Fumigation. After the sun rises, convective eddies develop near the surface due to the warming of the surface. These penetrate higher as the heating continues, resulting in the mixing layer rising. As the inversion reaches the plume, the inversion keeps the plume from rising higher, and the cddics quickly bring high concentrations to the surface.Coning Later the atmosphere below the mixing height is well mixed and neutral. The plume rises and diffuses smoothly. This is also the situation’with-cloudy or windy conditions. Looping As the heating of the ground intensifies, large convective eddies develop. These eddies fragment the plume so that it rapidly moves up and down in a looping fashion.we Lofting As the sun gets lower, the convection deceases and an inversion starts to build form the ground. At first the inversion is weak enough for the plume penctrate through it. The plume diffuses upward, but is prevented from diffusing downward. IL Application of plume classification scheme to photos of actual plumes