A numerical analysis of pollutant dispersion from the chimney of the medical waste incinerator in the urban environment

Abstract

Numerical analyses were carried out on the dispersion of pollution from the chimney of a medical waste incinerator in an urban environment. The research focused on determining the location and height of the chimney to ensure that the descent of pollution plumes towards the ground, known as “downwashing”, does not pose a health risk to people in the immediate vicinity of the chimney. Two scenarios were investigated in the study: the presence of a building with idealized geometry (with height and length variations) in front of a typical waste incinerator with a fixed size chimney and the case of a chimney on top of a building with idealized geometry (with position and height variations) without a separate waste incinerator. The pollutant concentrations were monitored at a height of 2 meters above the ground. The results of the study show that under realistic design conditions (presence of surrounding buildings) and environmental factors (wind speed and direction), the chimney should be positioned 20 meters higher than the adjacent building or in the middle of the roof structure at a height of 20 meters. This is better than a chimney next to the waste disposal facility (incinerator) that is 2.5 times higher than the incinerator itself.