Issues in the Use of Atmospheric Dispersion Models for Accidental Release Planning and Decision Making, 1994 Environmental Conference Proceedings
G. D. Kaiser
There are numerous regulations that require the use of atmospheric dispersion modeling as input to decision making in the context of the safe operation of facilities that handle highly hazardous materials. For the pulp and paper industries, examples of such materials include chlorine and sulfur dioxide.
There are a number of unresolved issues in dispersion modeling for industrial environments that limit its usefulness as an aid to decision making. These include the definitions of toxic levels of concern; dry deposition; correctly making the distinction between urban and rural environments; heavy vapor modeling at sites of high surface roughness; and the lack of consensus on an approach to “worst-case” accidental releases. These issues are discussed below the context of examples that are relevant to the pulp and paper industries.
Issues in the Use of Atmospheric Dispersion Models for Accidental Release Planning and Decision Maki