Development of a combined LES/RANS model to predict atmospheric dispersion over urban areas

Abstract

To quickly and accurately predict the dispersion of hazardous materials released over urban areas, we propose a combined method in which dispersion fields are simulated using a Reynoldsaveraged Navier-Stokes model with pre-calculated flow fields from a large-eddy simulation (LES) model. First, the combined model is conducted for dispersion in a simple street canyon. The results of the combined model are compared with those of a wind-tunnel experiment to adjust empirical parameters in the turbulent scalar flux. The horizontal dispersion fields predicted in the combined model with the best parameters are well consistent with those calculated from our LES model. We then apply the combined model to predict the scalar dispersion over a real urban area. The combined model well predicts the results obtained from the LES model with less calculation time. Therefore, we find that the combined model is potentially effective for emergency response to hazardous-material release over urban areas.