Tracer Dispersion in a Multi-compartment Structure

TL;DR

This study experimentally investigates how a tracer disperses within a complex multi-compartment structure in water, providing scalable laws to predict real-world hazardous release scenarios for risk assessment.

Contribution

It introduces validated scaling laws for tracer dispersion in complex structures, aiding the up-scaling of laboratory results to real operational environments.

Findings

Tracer trapping occurs in some compartments.

Scaling laws accurately predict tracer propagation.

Results assist in risk assessment for hazardous releases.

Abstract

An experimental study of the tracer dispersion in a complex structure is presented. A point source of tracer (dyed salt) was placed inside a multi-compartment structure embedded in water tank. This experimental setting corresponds to a hazardous tracer release inside the engineering structure (building, ship, aircarft etc). A system of conductivity sensors was deployed to monitor the propagation of a tracer plume in the structure, including tracer trapping inside some compartments and its release to the outside environment through the external openings. The experimental data is processed by employing the ideas of scaling and self-similarity of underlying transport processes. The established and validated scaling laws provide a rigorous way to up-scale the results of laboratory modeling to real operational scenarios and can be used as an important step in the development of risk-assessment models for the first responders to hazardous releases. Keywords: hazardous plume, tracer dispersion, diffusion and advection, confined environment, water tank, structure