AAAR 37th Annual Conference October 14 - October 18, 2019 Oregon Convention Center Portland, Oregon, USA
Abstract View
A CFD Study of a Vegetative Barrier as a Near-Road Pollutant Mitigation Strategy: An Evaluation of CFD Modelling Techniques with Field Measurements
KHALED HASHAD, Xinwei Liu, Bo Yang, K. Max Zhang, Pradeep S. Prathibha, Jay R. Turner, Daniel Fleischer, Cornell University
Abstract Number: 824 Working Group: Control and Mitigation Technology
Abstract Traffic related pollution is shown to have an adverse effect on human health. Vegetative barriers have shown the potential to act as a mitigation tool for traffic pollution. A vegetative barrier compromised from a combination of (100+) shrubs and trees was implemented in front of Saint Margret Mary (SMM) School in Louisville, KY. LiDAR and on site measurements provided Leaf Area Density (LAD) for the different vegetative species used, in addition to, detailed geometric information for each tree. Both those parameters were used to develop our Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model. A hybrid approach was used in the CFD model were big and dense vegetation was modelled as standalone zones, while smaller and spatially close vegetation was clustered together. Our model accounted for both the aerodynamic and deposition effects that vegetation has on the flow and particles. This simulation is unique since it provides a site specific analysis for pollutant concentration. In addition to the buffer, nearby buildings, vegetation, and traffic were considered. On field measurements of wind speed and pollutant concentration (Ultra-fine particles) were obtained. Our CFD results showed good agreement with field measurement results. This validates our model and provides a CFD tool for future analysis that can be used to test the effectiveness of vegetative barrier designs in pollutant reduction.