Effect of Flare Stack Radiation on the Mixing Height over Olorunsogo Area of Ogun State, Nigeria

Abstract

Mixed layer depth, Solar and flare stack radiations, Atmospheric boundary layer Abstract: Mixing of chemical species released from pollution sources occurs at certain heights in the atmospheric boundary layer of the troposphere. Within this height, mixing of materials occurs due to convective heat transport and mechanical (wind) actions. The mixed layer height can be estimated by analyzing measured meteorological parameters. In this study, the parameterization of meteorological variables based on established mathematical models were used to compute mixed layer height over Olorunsogo in Ogun State, Nigeria. The vertical extent through which pollutants mix occurs was described in a height-temperature profile for both the day time and nocturnal characteristics. The mixing depths were computed for two locations comprising one area with gas flaring operation present and another with no flare stack present. The findings of this study revealed that mixed layer depth for the location without flaring activities, day time ranged between 1200m and 1400m, and at night time as well as early morning ranged between 150m and 400m. In contrast with the location where gas flaring occurred, mixing height ranged between 9280m and 9310m for day time and between 9100m and 9180m for nocturnal period. In addition, it was observed that pollution trapped below the flare during the day, experience rapid vertical motion due to outgoing long wave radiation (OLR) from the surface. While above the flare a vertical motion coupled with dispersion occurs under lapse rate for pollutants, but remained trapped at the inversion layer. At night time, pollutants around the flare advect vertically and experience rapid vertical dispersed motion and after going through the flare are trapped at the inversion layer. Hence most submicron sized particulate matter hardly reaches ground level over areas where gas flaring operations occur except entrainments in wet depositions predominantly through rainfall.