Sensitivity Analysis of Ambient Particulate Matter to Industrial Emissions Using a Plume-in-Grid Approach: Application in the Greater Paris Region

Abstract

The Polyphemus Plume-in-Grid (PinG) model, which is based on a 3D Eulerian model and an imbedded puff model, was developed to represent the dispersion and transformation of air pollutants in industrial plumes. It was later improved to take into account particulate matter (PM) formation and transport in order to evaluate secondary PM formation in refinery plumes. The performance of the PinG model, applied to a refinery in the Greater Paris region, was previously evaluated at the regional scale for July 2009, showing satisfactory results for O3 and PM. The PinG model is applied here to the same refinery for a different period, April 2013, when local measurements were available. The refinery is located close to a large NH3 source, which is also treated here using the puff model in order to evaluate the interactions of the plumes of these two industrial sites. Modeled PM is compared here to local measurements in terms of mass concentrations and chemical composition. The measurement sites are located around the refinery and are impacted by the plumes of the two industrial sites. The results show good agreement between measured and modeled PM chemical composition. The sensitivity of the local concentrations to the refinery emissions is evaluated. It is mostly due to primary and secondary inorganic aerosols, emitted and formed in the plumes, and to secondary organic aerosols (SOA) formed from the refinery VOC fugitive emissions.