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Indoor respirable particulate : development of a model to assess air quality and evaluate potential control options / prepared by Joe C. Liello.

by Liello, Joe C.

Indoor air pollution -- Mathematical models

Air quality management

87 leaves : ill. ; 28 cm.

Advisor: Julianne Hunter

Committee members: Michael Zebell, Dr. Deborah Jackman

Introduction -- Literature review -- Materials and methods -- Results and discussion -- Conclusions and recommendations -- Appendices: Appendix A: Air mass balance calculation - B: Respirable particulate sampling data - C: Real-time aerosol monitor: manufacturer specifications - D: Material Safety Data Sheet for sulfur hexafluoride - E: Gas analyzer: manufacturer specifications - F: Source-specific tracer gas dispersion data and results - G: Source-specific tracer gas profiles - H: Approximation of cost range.

Foundry production workers have historically had a high degree of risk for occupational exposure to silica dust, which can result in the lung disease, silicosis. A mathematical model was developed to assess indoor air quality and to evaluate potential control options for reducing the concentration of respirable particulate and its silica content, thereby minimizing such worker exposure. The model was developed to provide management, engineers, and industrial hygenists with a quantitative means to evaluate the technological feasibility of various control techniques prior to commiting capital and resources towards implementing such controls. Based on the conservative assumption that respirable particulate behaves as a gas with respect to dispersion, a correlation was drawn between background respirable particulate concentrations and tracer gas dispersion data. In turn, this correlation was used to predict the impacts of potential control options that could be employed to reduce respirable particulate and silica dust concentrations. Such control options included both source reduction and dispersion controls.

Baseline facility operating conditions (e.g., physical layout, ventilation system, emission sources, air flow patterns) were first analyzed to accurately characterize the area under investigation. The indoor air quality was then assessed by using conventional respirable particulate and area filter sampling techniques. Concurrent with such sampling, tracer gas dispersion sampling was performed to assess the dispersion of respirable particulate emissions from specific emission sources. A direct correlation between background respirable particulate concentrations and compiled tracer gas dispersion data was then calculated and optimized to allow for such a correlation to be used to predict the impacts of potential control options. Using a desktop computer equipped with three-dimensional contouring software, concentration profiles were generated to compare both the individual and combined impacts of source reduction and dispersion control techniques.

As a result of this mathematical modeling approach, it was concluded that a combination of two control options would be most effective at reducing respirable particulate concentrations and its silica content. Specifically, the source control that was recommended was to remove sand, the primary source of silica dust, from foundry returns through the use of an effective cleaning method, such as shot-blasting or a rotary media drum. In addition, zone-balancing of the supply and exhaust ventilation systems was recommended to control the dispersion of respirable particulates, thereby effectively leveling background respirable particulate concentrations by breaking-up the prevailing air flow patterns that had resulted in cross contamination.

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