Modeling NOx and NO2 emissions from mobile sources: A case study for Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

This study characterizes the dispersion of emissions of oxides of nitrogen and nitrogen dioxide from traffic sources in the Hamilton census metropolitan area. The Integrated Model of Urban Landuse and Transportation for Environmental Analysis software was used to estimate emissions of oxides of nitrogen from traffic sources. The Air Pollution Model, was used to simulate dispersion of the traffic emissions over the city. The models account for the two primary wind directions in this region – the prevailing southwest and a secondary northeast direction. The results show a prominent triangle of high pollution defined by major roads and highways along the periphery of the Hamilton Harbour, at peak-hour. With southwest winds, residential areas along the northern shoreline of the Harbour are affected, while the western sections of the city are affected by northeast winds. High concentrations are persistent in some areas, for both wind directions. The resulting dispersion surfaces characterize the spatial distribution of traffic emissions and thus provide a means of assessing population exposure over the Hamilton area.     

Sensitivity analysis on stochastic equilibrium transportation networks using genetic algorithm

This study deals with the sensitivity analysis of an equilibrium transportation networks using genetic algorithm approach and uses the bi‐level iterative sensitivity algorithm. Therefore, integrated Genetic Algorithm‐TRANSYT and Path Flow Estimator (GATPFE) is developed for signalized road networks for various level of perceived travel time in order to test the sensitivity of perceived travel time error in an urban stochastic road networks. Level of information provided to drivers correspondingly affects the signal timing parameters and hence the Stochastic User Equilibrium (SUE) link flows. When the information on road system is increased, the road users try to avoid conflicting links. Therefore, the stochastic equilibrium assignment concept tends to be user equilibrium. The GATPFE is used to solve the bi‐level problem, where the Area Traffic Control (ATC) is the upper‐level and the SUE assignment is the lower‐level. The GATPFE is tested for six‐junction network taken from literature. The results show that the integrated GATPFE can be applied to carry out sensitivity analysis at the equilibrium network design problems for various level of information and it simultaneously optimize the signal timings (i.e. network common cycle time, signal stage and offsets between junctions).     

城市轨道交通无缝线路应力放散施工及运营保障措施

城市轨道交通无缝线路应力放散施工面临有效作业时间不充裕、对供电及信号等轨旁设备影响大、可能影响次日运营等困难。以北京地区某实际工程为例,采用细致筹备、"可视化"现场分工、全方位的专业保障等措施,安全高效地完成全线的无缝线路应力放散。并详细介绍了城市轨道交通运营期的无缝线路应力放散和调整施工组织及供电、信号系统保障措施。     

AERMOD for near-road pollutant dispersion: Evaluation of model performance with different emission source representations and low wind options

The performance of the regulatory dispersion model AERMOD in simulating vehicle-emitted pollutant concentrations near-roadway using area or volume source representation of emissions and with different low wind options was assessed using the SF₆ tracer data from the General Motors (GM) Sulfur Dispersion Experiment. At downwind receptor locations, AERMOD, using either area or volume source emissions, can reasonably predict the tracer concentrations near the surface (0.5 m) but the model performance decreases at higher elevations (3.5m and 9.5m above the surface). For upwind receptors, using an area source representation leads to significant under-predictions due to AERMOD’s lack of treatment of lateral plume meander, but using volume source representation leads to over-predictions of upwind concentrations regardless of the low wind options for plume meander. Among the three low wind options currently available in AERMOD, best model performance is obtained with low wind option 3, which treats plume meander with a higher minimal standard deviation of the horizontal crosswind component (σ_v,min = 0.3 m s⁻¹), eliminates upwind component of dispersion and uses an effective lateral dispersion parameter (σ_y) to replicate centerline concentration. The optional adjustment of the surface friction velocity in the meteorological preprocessor AERMET does not lead to obvious improvements in predicted near-road concentrations for this application.     

A new approach for evaluating regional exposure to particulate matter emissions from motor vehicles

Exposure to fine particulate matter from vehicle exhaust is associated with increased health risk. This study develops a new approach for creating spatially detailed regional maps of fine particulate matter concentration from vehicle exhaust using a dispersion model to better evaluate these risks. The spatial extent, diurnal, and seasonal patterns of concentration fields across Los Angeles County, California are evaluated and population exposure and exposure equity by race and income are investigated. The results demonstrate how this modeling approach can create new knowledge about vehicle emissions exposure. This approach also provides a method for proactively screening out regional plans, or specific projects within these plans, that are likely to cause air quality concerns. A proactive and regional air quality assessment can identify potential problems earlier in the planning process and a wider range of solutions, saving time, money and protecting public health. The detailed concentration maps can also be used to improve the siting of regulatory air quality monitors and provide more accurate exposure data for epidemiology studies.     

Operational Oceanography System applied to the Prestige oil-spillage event

This contribution describes the procedure used during the Prestige oil-spillage event, by means of an Operational Oceanography System, and the behaviour of the present prediction tools (hydrodynamic and dispersion models) applied to it. The accuracy of these tools is estimated by a reanalysis of field data transmitted by a sea surface drifting buoy, released at the time of the oil spill. The numerical models applied were the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS), fed by the available six-hourly NCEP atmospheric information, together with a Lagrangian Particle-Tracking Model (LPTM). ROMS has been used to estimate the current fields for the Bay of Biscay, whilst the LPTM has provided the oil spill trajectories. The results demonstrate that the accuracy of the numerical models depends upon the quality of the meteorological input data. In this case, the current fields at the sea surface, derived by ROMS, have been underestimated by the wind fields of the NCEP reanalysis data. An efficient calibration of these wind fields, with data provided by the Gascony buoy (fixed oceanic and atmospheric station), achieves more realistic looking results; this is reflected in the comparison between the buoy trajectory predicted numerically and the tracked movements of the drifting buoy.     

Urban roadside monitoring and prediction of CO,NO2 and SO2 dispersion from on-road vehicles in megacity Delhi

The study inspects the traffic-induced gaseous emission dispersion characteristics from the urban roadside sites in Delhi, India. The concentration of pollutants viz. CO, NO₂ and SO₂ along with traffic and ambient atmospheric conditions at five selected local urban road sites were simultaneously measured. A developed General Finite Line Source Model (GFLSM) was used to predict the local roadside CO, NO₂ and SO₂ concentrations. A comparison of the observed and predicted values emission parameters using GFLS model has shown that the predicted values for SO₂, CO and NO₂ at all the selected local urban roadside locations are found to lie within the error bands of 5%, 6%, and 7% respectively. A high level of agreement was found between the monitored and estimated CO, NO₂ and SO₂ concentration data. From the study, it has also been established that the developed model exhibits the capability of reasonably predicting the characteristics of gaseous pollutants dispersion from on-road vehicles for the urban city air quality.     

Dispersion of spilled oil by a cavitating jet at sea

This article presents the possibility of using a high-speed water jet for the dispersion of spilled oil at sea. Laboratory experiments showed that a high-speed water jet is very effective in dispersing heavy oil. Two methods were examined and compared using freshwater. The first method was to disperse an oil layer on the water surface using a cavitating jet ejected upward at an angle of 45°. A target plate was placed at the interface of the water and oil layer to enhance the collapse of cavitating bubbles. The second method was to eject a high-speed water jet vertically downward from the air. A guide plate with a guide hole was placed under the oil layer with no target plate as such. The second method showed an improved dispersion ability and thus its effectiveness was examined using an oil layer on seawater. The dispersion of oil was better in seawater than in freshwater, probably because seawater contains natural surfactants.     

准饱和土地基中瑞利波的传播特性

基于Biot两相饱和多孔介质理论,推导了准饱和土中瑞利波弥散特征方程,并研究了饱和度对准饱和土中瑞利波的弥散特性和位移分布的影响。结果表明,气相的存在对准饱和土中瑞利波速及弥散特性影响不大,但含气量变化对土骨架和流相的位移会产生很大的影响。     

DWDM密集波分复用系统误码性能分析

误码率是影响密集波分复用系统的关键指标之一,分析和处理误码是网络运行维护的一项重要工作。本文介绍了密集波分复用系统误码产生的原因,并总结了日常维护中误码处理的方法。