title: Validation of turbulence models in heavy gas dispersion over obstacles.
abstract: Accidental release and dispersion of toxic gases were always major hazards for public health and safety that process industries had to deal with. Real terrain dispersion simulation for risk analysis purposes poses specific difficulties related to complex turbulence phenomena development, especially when obstructions are found into the flow region. In this paper, several turbulence models are tested and compared against experimental data of dense vapor dispersion, in order to decide for their suitability for simulating such flows. Computations were carried out using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code CFX 5.6, while experimental data were obtained from Thorney Island large scale field trials. Computational results showed good agreement with experimental measurements indicating that CFDs provide a reliable means of estimating gas dispersion in real terrains.
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, 15700 Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Spyros
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sklavounos
authors.forename: Fotis
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rigas
mesh_terms: D000059:Accidents; D000392:Air Movements; D005740:Gases; D015386:Hazardous Substances; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011634:Public Health
chemical_list: D005740:Gases; D015386:Hazardous Substances