VALIDATION STUDIES OF AIR-QUALITY MODELS AT DULLES AIRPORT

Examination of measurement results for the Concorde SST and several other aircraft types has led to further review of basic assumptions made in many airport air quality models. Even though several fundamental details of the dispersion process are sometimes ignored, the modeling assumptions may be adequate for a particular scale of analysis that implies a basic limit of resolution for each respective model. This paper is a progress report on the current validation studies and presents preliminary results of comparisons between predicted carbon monoxide (CO) concentrations and those measured during the Concorde monitoring program. Results show that both the initial plume rise and the jet wake dispersion of effluents have important effects on pollutant concentration estimates for receptors located within a kilometer of the source pathway. Most airport air quality models have ignored these factors and thus overestimate concentrations associated with aircraft emissions, particularly in the near field. © 1979 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.