Simultaneous CFD evaluation of wind flow and dust emission in open storage piles

Dust emission from storage yards is a multivariable problem to be solved not only at any new installation in order to obtain the licenses from the involved authorities but also at existing yards to continue the operation. Engineers have a great variety of methodologies available at the market to estimate such emissions, but in general the process is divided into two independent stages: wind flow analysis and application of emission rates into such wind pattern. This paper summarizes the research developed by this group to link both steps: by using CFX version 10.0, a powerful computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software, the wind flow around the piles is predicted, or even through a complex yard, and at the same time by implementing new subroutines introduced into the standard software, the program is able to give a quantitative evaluation of the total fugitive dust.