Greenhouse gas emissions and dispersion #2. Comparison of FDS predictions with gas velocity measurements in the exhaust duct of a stationary source

The burning of fossil fuels remains a major source of greenhouse gases responsible for global warming and climate change. In order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, it is imperative to develop a capability to accurately measure these emissions from point and area sources. The NIST Large Fire Laboratory (LFL) has conducted greenhouse gas emission tests (point sources) through detailed measurements within an exhaust duct. The experiments were simulated through computational fluid dynamics (CFD) programs such as Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) to obtain a better understanding of the flow field through an exhaust duct. This report describes FDS model development for simulating flow through a circular exhaust duct and comparison of simulation results with experimental data. The final geometry and calculations made with FDS demonstrate our capability to simulate the flow through cylindrical exhaust duct geometry, and to accurately predict the emissions of greenhouse gases.