Air pollution dispersion in Hail city: Climate and urban topography impact

Abstract

Due to the rapid urbanization of many cities around the world, industrial manufacturing plants have been expanded quickly, leading to the discharge of large amounts of pollutants into the environment. Consequently, a significant deterioration in local air quality is recorded, representing a high health risk for the city's residents. In this context, the main objective of this work is to understand the dispersion of gas pollution in high-density urban environments, specifically the Hail region of Saudi Arabia. The simulations carried out with Ansys Fluent 19.0 were based on actual climatic conditions, with particular attention paid to accurately reproducing the exact topography of the study area. The main results concern the characterization of flow behavior and the dispersion of gas pollutants emitted by power plants. Several factors, including building geometry and wind speed, are examined. The study reveals that for a reference wind speed of more than 7 m/s, gaseous pollution exhibits a significant tendency to accumulate within buildings, resulting in significant concentrations.