Author(s)

D. W. Pepper & X. Wang

Abstract

An hp-adaptive Finite Element Model (FEM) coupled with a Lagrangian Particle Transport (LPT) technique is used to simulate contaminant dispersion for emergency response assessment. The adaptive FEM accurately predicts air flow utilizing mesh enrichment along with increasing element order at locations where flow features change greatly. The use of LPT permits particles to be easily employed for predicting contaminant transport. The hybrid numerical model runs on an 18-node Beowulf PC cluster using Linux. Solutions are generally obtained quickly. The model is well suited for emergency response dispersion predictions and assessment. Keywords: hp-adaptation, FEM, Lagrangian Particle Transport, contaminant transport, emergency response. 1 Introduction Contaminant transport is an important environmental issue that causes serious threats to the health of the public [1]. The ability to accurately and quickly predict contaminant transport is needed to effectively assess health effects, mitigation, regulation of emissions, and effective placement of sensors. In order to design mitigation methods for control and prevention of hazardous releases, numerous numerical models that simulate air flow and contaminant transport have been developed over many years [2] - [5]. Analytical solutions for the governing equations that describe contaminant transport are generally not easy to obtain, and limited in applicability. Numerical simulation is typically the only viable means for accurately predicting contaminant transport over a wide range of conditions. In this study, an hp-

Keywords

hp-adaptation, FEM, Lagrangian Particle Transport, contaminant transport, emergency response.