Chapter 5 - Smoke Plume Characterization

Abstract

The chapter discusses smoke plumes of different colors, sizes, and concentration levels from Kuwaiti oil fields that were carried by wind over large distances in the Gulf region. The characterization of plumes is necessary to understand the mechanism of dispersion of smoke plumes in the air and also to study the effect of these plumes on human beings, plants, vegetation, marine lives, and other ecosystems in the region. Such characterization includes chemical composition of smoke and of typical crude oil from Kuwaiti oil fields, concentration of airborne particulate and their size distributions, optical properties of smoke plume and aerosol, and cloud condensation nuclei measurements. The chemical composition of plume helps in estimating particulate emission factors and the efficiency of combustion. The size distribution of a particle is important in determining both the optical properties of plume and the rate at which the particle is deposited on the ground. Smaller particles scatter more easily than larger particles and larger particles fall more rapidly than smaller particles. The chemical composition of smoke plumes also help in determining the extent of carcinogenic risks posed by the airborne particulate matter which is usually based on the concentrations of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) being the most frequently used model of total PAHs. The optical properties of smoke are important for determining the potential impact of plumes on the ground surface temperature.