AIR POLLUTION AND TREATMENT
- Overview
- Assessment methods
- Learning objectives
- Contents
- Delivery method
- Teaching methods
- Contacts/Info
The final exam is oral and it tests the acquisitions of knowledge and competences on the topics studied within the course. In order to take the exam, the student shall present a worked-out project, proposed by the teacher, in which the student will perform the design/verification of an abatement device. The student will be asked generic and specific subjects for every module studied, along with reflections and practical aspects of the topics studied.
The final score is composed as it follows:
Project: 8/30
Questions: 25/30
The score accounts for the quality of the answer, exposition, and specific language.
The aim of the course is to provide students with a detailed knowledge of the basic phenomenology of pollutant dispersions into the atmosphere, of the structure of a steady-state dispersion model and of the devices for the abatement of concentrations of pollutants in air currents discharged into the environment. The course also includes the review of important historical accidents associated with dispersions of toxic pollutants.
At the end of the course the student should:
a) Know the fundamentals of meteorology and the basic phenomenology associated with the dispersions of pollutants in the atmosphere;
b) Know mathematical models (point source and steady-state) aimed to give a rough estimate (in terms of concentrations at the generic receptor) of the magnitude of an atmospheric release;
c) Be capable of describing and analyzing an industrial accident, with particular interest in atmospheric dispersions;
d) Know how to design and verify the main equipment suitable for the treatment of various heterogeneous types of polluted air which will then be emitted into the atmosphere.
Module 1: Modeling of the dispersion of pollutants in the atmosphere
Duration: 16 hours - Lectures
Introduction to the concept of dispersion of pollutants in the atmosphere; the structure of the ARPA/APPA network to measure airborne pollutants in Italy; threshold limits described by D.Lgs 155/2010; phenomenology of the dispersion of a gas in the atmosphere; atmospheric stability and the Pasquill classes; steady-state Gaussian models for continuous and instantaneous emissions; estimation of inertial and gravitational effects.
Module 2: Reconstruction of accidental events and simulations
Duration: 8 hours - Frontal Lessons
Reconstruction and simulation of accidents: the cases of Seveso and Bhopal.
Module 3: Illustration of the operating principle of industrial equipment for air purification
Duration: 12 hours - Lectures
Equipment for the treatment of polluted air.
Study of the dynamics of polluting particles in air and fluids. Derivation of the settling velocity of microscopic particles. Introduction to air purification systems and gaseous streams circulating in a process plant. Study of the following abatement systems: settling chambers, cyclones, electrostatic precipitators, bag filters.
Module 4: Evaluation of dispersions with simple models and problems of sizing and verification of air treatment equipment (practical examples will be solved with the aid of the teacher)
Duration: 12 hours - Frontal Lessons
Practical examples involving the application of the numerical methods proposed for airborne pollutants dispersion. Verification of compliance of concentration thresholds imposed by Legislative Decree 155/2010. Verification and sizing of polluted air treatment devices, with particular attention to the relationship between particle size and separation efficiency (for heterogeneous mixtures).
The course will be carried out using lectures and practical worked examples with the teacher.
Occasionally, seminars will be proposed in co-presence of the teacher. The topics will treat practical examples, typical of a real working environment, and will be lectured by experts in the specific field.
The teacher receives on appointment. It is possible to book an appointment by sending an email to: marco.barozzi@uninsubria.it