Operational Use of Air Pollution Models at the Space and Missile Ranges.
Abstract
The Space Shuttle exhaust ground and cloud results from the exhaust plume from the Space Shuttle Main Engines and the Solid Rocket Boosters initially impinging on the launch complex and flame trench. The initial ground cloud is formed from high-temperature combustion products and vaporized flame trench water. The exhaust cloud rises to an altitude at which buoyant equilibrium with the ambient atmosphere is established. This occurs at an altitude of 1 to 2 km in a period of 5 to 10 min after launch. At this point, the kinematic transport phase commences. At stabilization, the exhaust cloud typically contains approximately 99 percent ambient air entrained during the cloud rise portion of its transport. The major rocket exhaust constituents are hydrogen chloride (HCL),carbon dioxide (CO2), water vapor (H20), and aluminum oxide (Al2O3). The REEDM (Rocket Exhaust Effluent Diffusion Model) computer code is currently used to provide a real-time dispersion prediction during each launch of the Space Shuttle at the Eastern Test Range (ETR). It has also been used to assess the environmental impact fof future Shuttle launches at the Western Test Range. The REEDM includes basic mathematical expressions for atmospheric dispersion models, cloud-rise models for calculating the gravitational deposition of acid drops. Inputs are vehicle and other source parameters, meteorological parameters defining the state of the planetary boundary layer including turbulence parameters, and physical properties of the rocket exhaust cloud. This paper describes the model and discusses in detail recent improvements.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 15, 1986
- Accession Number
- ADA174285
Entities
People
- Billie F. Boyd
- Clinton R. Bowman Jr