A model for the turbulence dissipation rate in stably stratified shear turbulence is developed and validated. The functional dependence of the model is derived from first principles and it represents ...a conceptually new approach in that it depends on the background temperature field rather than on the fluctuating velocity field. This novel feature makes the proposed model a viable candidate for dissipation rate estimates in measured real‐life flows. Direct numerical simulation data are used for a priori assessment of the proposed model. It is demonstrated that the proposed model performs very well, particularly in cases where the background stratification becomes dynamically important. Also, a generalized expression for the mixing coefficient has been rigorously derived from first principles assuming local isotropy of incompressible turbulent flows. The mixing coefficient is shown to depend on the Prandtl number and values are in correspondence with previous studies.
Key Points
A dissipation rate model is developed and validated using DNS data
The functional form of the model is derived from first principles
The proposed model performs very well in strongly stratified turbulence
Legionella was detected in aeration ponds (biological treatment plant) at Borregaard Ind. Ltd., Norway, and in air samples harvested directly above these ponds. Since 2005, three outbreaks of ...legionellosis occurred within a 10 km radius from this plant. This work addresses the dispersion patterns of Legionella-containing particles by characterizing the aerosol plume emitted from these ponds (outbreak source) less than 500 meters using wind-tunnel measurements, CFD simulations, and real-life measurements. The most abundant particles directly over the ponds were less than 6 and more than 15 microm. The results showed that the aerosol plume remained narrow; 180 meters wide at 350 meters downwind of the ponds, and that 2 and 18 microm aerosols were mainly deposited in the vicinity of the ponds ( 150 - 200 meters). Furthermore, the maximum aerosol concentration level appeared 5-10 meters above ground level and the maximum concentration 500 meters downwind was approximately 2 per cent of the concentration level directly above the ponds. Our study demonstrates the strength of combining modeling with real-life aerosol analyses increasing the understanding of dispersion of airborne (pathogenic) microorganisms.
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