Numerical Investigations of Urban Pollutant Dispersion and Building Intake Fraction with Various 3D Building Configurations and Tree Plantings

Qingman Li, Jie Liang, Qun Wang, Yuntong Chen, Hongyu Yang, Hong Ling, Zhiwen Luo and Jian Hang
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Qingman Li: Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), School of Atmospheric Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519082, China
Jie Liang: Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), School of Atmospheric Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519082, China
Qun Wang: Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong SAR, China
Yuntong Chen: Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), School of Atmospheric Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519082, China
Hongyu Yang: Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), School of Atmospheric Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519082, China
Hong Ling: Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), School of Atmospheric Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519082, China
Zhiwen Luo: School of Construction Management and Engineering, University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading RG6 6AH, UK
Jian Hang: Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), School of Atmospheric Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519082, China

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 6, 1-34

Abstract: Rapid urbanisation and rising vehicular emissions aggravate urban air pollution. Outdoor pollutants could diffuse indoors through infiltration or ventilation, leading to residents’ exposure. This study performed CFD simulations with a standard k-ε model to investigate the impacts of building configurations and tree planting on airflows, pollutant (CO) dispersion, and personal exposure in 3D urban micro-environments (aspect ratio = H/W = 30 m, building packing density λ p = λ f = 0.25) under neutral atmospheric conditions. The numerical models are well validated by wind tunnel data. The impacts of open space, central high-rise building and tree planting (leaf area density LAD = 1 m 2 /m 3 ) with four approaching wind directions (parallel 0° and non-parallel 15°, 30°, 45°) are explored. Building intake fraction < P_IF > is adopted for exposure assessment. The change rates of < P_IF > demonstrate the impacts of different urban layouts on the traffic exhaust exposure on residents. The results show that open space increases the spatially-averaged velocity ratio ( VR ) for the whole area by 0.40–2.27%. Central high-rise building (2 H ) can increase wind speed by 4.73–23.36% and decrease the CO concentration by 4.39–23.00%. Central open space and high-rise building decrease < P_IF > under all four wind directions, by 6.56–16.08% and 9.59–24.70%, respectively. Tree planting reduces wind speed in all cases, raising < P_IF > by 14.89–50.19%. This work could provide helpful scientific references for public health and sustainable urban planning.

Keywords: CFD simulation; ventilation; pollutant dispersion; open space; urban tree planting; personal intake fraction (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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