Assessment of pollutant dispersion from rooftop stacks: ASHRAE, ADMS and wind tunnel simulation

The prediction of downwind concentration of effluents from stack located on top of buildings is important. Most current dispersion models assess the pollutant concentration at distances away from the building. It is important to study pollutant dispersion within the recirculation zone of the building, since studies have shown that effluents released from rooftop stacks have a tendency to re-enter the building through intakes located on the roof. These effects get more pronounced with the influence of RoofTop Structures (RTS). This paper presents a comparative study of the Atmospheric Dispersion Modelling System (ADMS), American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE 2003 and 2007 versions) and wind tunnel results. Four different cases involving a low-rise and high-rise building for stack heights (hs) ranging from 1 m to 7 m, exhaust momentum ratios (M) ranging from 1 to 5 and wind direction (θ) of 0° and 45°, have been studied for neutral atmospheric stability conditions. In this regard the effect of RTS has also been examined by using wind tunnel, ADMS and ASHRAE models. ADMS yields higher dilutions near the stack at θ = 0° and cannot model the effect of RTS. Wind tunnel data compare well with ASHRAE 2003 at M = 5 for the low-rise building, but generally predict higher dilutions for the high-rise building. ASHRAE 2003 predicts lower dilutions than ADMS for the high-rise building, while ASHRAE 2007 yields very low dilutions for all cases, suggesting a need to reassess its suitability for practical design.