Modeling pollutant dispersion from petroleum refining process in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Air pollution is a major problem in Sri Lanka due to rapid urbanization and development of industries. In Sri Lanka, the quality of air has a profound impact on the economy. The most obvious of these impacts is related to health problems associated with poor air quality and the corresponding cost of medical care and treatment. Over the last 15 years, the demand for petroleum products has risen at an annual average rate of about 5%. Therefore it is important to build air quality models, which are mathematical descriptions of the concentration of pollutants. In this study the dispersion of air pollutants of petroleum refinery process in Sapugaskanda, Sri Lanka was modeled using two dimensional advection-diffusion equations. The finite difference method was used to solve the problem. The pollutant dispersion of Carbon Dioxide, Nitrogen Dioxide and Sulphur Dioxides was studied. The effects of parameters such as wind velocity and stack height were investigated. Simulation was carried out using a C program. A MATLAB program was applied to visualize the result. According to the study, dispersion pattern of pollutants showed that the extent of diffusion is dependent of meteorological conditions such as wind speed and source characteristics.