Characterizing and Quantifying Emissions and Transport of Fugitive Dust Emissions Due to Department of Defense Activities
RC-1729
Objective
Fugitive emissions of mineral dusts created by testing and training activities on military ranges are an important environmental issue for the Department of Defense (DoD). National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) exceedances for particulate matter (PM) require state and local governments to develop strategies to achieve NAAQS compliance. Such actions could create conditions whereby testing and training activities must be modified or curtailed to reduce dust emissions. Although advances have been made in characterizing emission factors for DoD testing and training activities, uncertainties remain in what key variables influence emission strength, how the measured emission factors can be extended to different geographic areas, and how surface moisture and depositional processes affect dust entrainment and transport. To ensure military readiness and sustainability of DoD ranges, scientific knowledge is needed to improve understanding of fugitive emission processes, accurately simulate these processes with computers models, and develop effective management practices that reduce environmental impacts of fugitive dust emissions.
The objectives of this project are to (1) provide additional information on key vehicle (wheeled and tracked) characteristics that influence dust emissions, (2) define transfer standards that enable effective and efficient modification of available emission factors to represent wider geographic areas using available dust emission potential measurement systems (TRAKER and PI-SWERL), (3) identify practically quantifiable surface properties that are most useful for estimating dust emission strength as a function of soil moisture and disturbance level, (4) identify and quantify terrain properties that are most useful for estimating attenuation of emissions by near-field deposition processes, and (5) integrate the results via formulation of appropriate algorithms into a dust emission and transport model (DUSTRAN). DUSTRAN can be used by DoD personnel to quantify fugitive emissions for particular areas and testing-training scenarios.
Technical Approach
This project will assemble state-of-the-art instrumentation to measure dust entrainment, emission processes, and deposition processes. Tested methods (e.g., flux-tower, tracer ratio technique) will be applied to derive emission factors and deposition rates with quantified uncertainties. New emission potential measurement methods (TRAKER and PI-SWERL) will be linked with emissions measurements and subsequently used to estimate emissions at other locations. The relationships between emissions and practicably measurable soil properties, activity characteristics (e.g., vehicle speed, weight), as well as the deposition algorithm will be integrated into DUSTRAN, allowing DoD personnel to more accurately estimate contributions of fugitive dust PM.
Benefits
The measurement and validation of key modeling parameters--emission potential, emission factors, moisture effects, soil property effects, and deposition attenuation of fugitive dust flux--will improve the accuracy of DUSTRAN to simulate the fate and transport of dust emissions from DoD facilities and impacts on local and regional air quality. The project results will also benefit the broader community of urban and regional air quality planners in meeting NAAQS and reducing visibility impacts in protected Class I areas. (Anticipated Project Completion - 2014)
Symposium & Workshop
FY 2013 New Start Project Selections
Points of Contact
Principal Investigator
Dr. John Gillies
Desert Research Institute
Phone: 775-674-7035
Fax: 775-674-7060
Program Manager
Resource Conservation and Climate Change
SERDP and ESTCP
Document Types
- Fact Sheet - Brief project summary with links to related documents and points of contact.
- Final Report - Comprehensive report for every completed SERDP and ESTCP project that contains all technical results.
- Cost & Performance Report - Overview of ESTCP demonstration activities, results, and conclusions, standardized to facilitate implementation decisions.
- Technical Report - Additional interim reports, laboratory reports, demonstration reports, and technology survey reports.
- Guidance - Instructional information on technical topics such as protocols and user’s guides.
- Workshop Report - Summary of workshop discussion and findings.
- Multimedia - On demand videos, animations, and webcasts highlighting featured initiatives or technologies.
- Model/Software - Computer programs and applications available for download.
- Database - Digitally organized collection of data available to search and access.