Fundamentals of Stack Gas Dispersion

Fundamentals Of Stack Gas Dispersion is a book devoted to the basic fundamentals of air pollution dispersion modeling of continuous, buoyant pollution plumes from stationary point sources. The first edition was published in 1979. The current fourth edition was published in 2005.

It is notable for including the step-by-step derivation of every equation presented in the book without using any highly advanced mathematics.

The book is now (2012) available only as a downloadable e-book in PDF format.

Subjects covered in the book
The subjects covered in the book include atmospheric turbulence and stability classes, buoyant pollution plume rise, Gaussian dispersion modeling, time-averaged concentrations, wind velocity profiles, fumigations, trapped plumes and flare stack plumes. All of the many constraints and assumptions involved in the basic equations are fully explained.

The book includes a good many example calculations. More information, including the complete table of contents, is available on the Internet.

Book contents

 * Chapter 1: Atmospheric Parameters
 * Chapter 2: Gaussian Dispersion Equations
 * Chapter 3: Dispersion Coefficients
 * Chapter 4: Plume Rise
 * Chapter 5: Time-Averaging Of Concentrations
 * Chapter 6: Wind Velocity Profiles
 * Chapter 7: Calculating Stack Gas Plume
 * Chapter 8: Trapped Plumes
 * Chapter 9: Fumigation
 * Chapter 10: Meteorological Data
 * Chapter 11: Flare Stack Plume Rise
 * Chapter 12: Miscellany

Where the book is used
The book is used in universities, large industrial companies, engineering and construction companies, and consulting companies as well as individual consultants in 69 countries worldwide.

It has been cited or referenced in 350 books, journal articles, conference proceedings and online websites as well as in the regulatory publications of 19 state or national governmental agencies worldwide. It is or has been used as recommended reading or a textbook in 32 university courses worldwide.

Book reviews
Excerpts from some published reviews of this book:

A good number of years ago, I reviewed an earlier edition of this work quite favorably. Having read through, with puzzlement, other explanations of stack gas dispersion, I was greatly taken with the simple, straightforward explanation of the steps to get from emission and meteorological data to the expected downwind concentrations. Now, the author has produced a much more comprehensive volume that takes you from raw data to final concentrations, using the same approach.

In a word then, this is a rather full course in point-source dispersion modeling. The work is overall as unique as it claims to be, in presenting this subject in a straightforward, informal fashion. I plan to put my copy on the shelf next to my desk where I can reach it. I recommend it.

The goal of this text is to provide the reader with the fundamentals of dispersion models, deriving them stepwise with examples, while avoiding complex mathematics. Overall, the book meets the goal of explaining the basic theory. All of the material given was technically sound and complete. The table of contents, the lists of tables and figures, and the references were complete. The examples were quite detailed and assisted in explaining the main subjects.

The historical and engineering aspects of this book will be useful to any meteorologists or engineers working in the field of air pollution meteorology. I believe this book is a useful reference and plan to have it at work in the frequently consulted dispersion modeling section of my bookshelf.

The author wrote this book because he felt there was no single reference source that clearly explained the fundamental theory and discussed the many assumptions and constraints involved in its derivation.

The book starts "from scratch" in deriving the fundamental theory step-by-step, and it also provides many sample calculations serving to elucidate the theory and procedures. All major aspects of (buoyant) gas dispersion are covered here in a manner easily followed by the non-specialist engineer. The calculation samples appreciably help in illustrating the theory and design procedures. This book will be a useful addition to the bookshelf of all engineers faced with estimating the effects of stack gas dispersion.