Approximated solution on the properties of the scavenging gap during precipitation using harmonic mean method

Abstract

Wet deposition refers to both natural and artificial processes where particles are scavenged by atmospheric hydrometeors. Below-cloud atmospheric particles are removed by raindrops via Brownian diffusion, interception, and impaction. The overall scavenging coefficient has a broad and distinctive minimum for aerosol penetration between 0.1 and several micrometers in diameter. In this study, the approximated analytical solution for most penetrating particle size during precipitation was obtained. Brownian diffusion and interception were considered under the assumption of the inertial impaction can be neglected in this study conditions. Both the minimum collection efficiency and minimum scavenging coefficient particle size were estimated using the harmonic mean type approximation, with the solution compared to the numerically calculated results. The approximated results were comparable with the numerical solutions. The results showed that collection efficiency diameter is a function of terminal velocity and the collection mechanisms included. When considering Brownian diffusion and interception, most penetrating particle size increases as drop diameter increases, which shows a contrary to the study of Wang (1978) and this shows that most penetrating particle size depends on collection efficiency mechanism, flow velocity and collector diameter. Consequently, this study analytically approximated general type-solutions for scavenging gap particle size and minimum collection efficiency during precipitation. © 2010 Elsevier B.V.