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Main Authors: Amankwah, Kofi Agyemang, Bautista, Juan Carlos Cuevas, Oehmke, Theresa, White, Christopher M., Zielinski, Lukasz, Chochua, Gocha, Speck, Andrew
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.17867
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author Amankwah, Kofi Agyemang
Bautista, Juan Carlos Cuevas
Oehmke, Theresa
White, Christopher M.
Zielinski, Lukasz
Chochua, Gocha
Speck, Andrew
author_facet Amankwah, Kofi Agyemang
Bautista, Juan Carlos Cuevas
Oehmke, Theresa
White, Christopher M.
Zielinski, Lukasz
Chochua, Gocha
Speck, Andrew
contents This study presents a comprehensive experimental investigation of scalar dispersion from the free end of wall-mounted cylindrical obstacles immersed in a large-Reynolds-number turbulent boundary layer. A key focus is the characterization of transition behavior between distinct dispersion regimes: elevated plumes (EP), ground-level plumes (GLP), and ground-level sources (GLS). Experiments systematically vary the primary and secondary aspect ratios ($AR_1, AR_2$) and the velocity ratio ($ r$) to explore their effects on the evolution of scalar plumes. Plume classification is governed by the non-dimensional parameter $\tilde{h}_s / δ_{cz}$, which quantifies the progressive interaction between the plume and the ground. Here, $\tilde{h}_s$ denotes the effective source height and $δ_{cz}$, the vertical plume half-width. Detailed concentration measurements demonstrate that the EP--GLP--GLS transitions substantially modify both vertical and lateral dispersion characteristics. The measurements reveal systematic departures from classical dispersion-coefficient scaling. To assess the capability of existing models under these conditions, the experimentally determined dispersion coefficients are used to evaluate the Gaussian Dispersion Model (GDM) and a Wall Similarity Model (WSM). The GDM captures general trends but deviates in specific regimes, whereas the WSM offers improved representation under GLS conditions. The resulting dataset, grounded in systematic laboratory measurements, establishes a critical benchmark for validating numerical simulations and informing the development of next-generation predictive models. Finally, leveraging these results, a concise data-informed predictive framework is introduced that captures the EP--GLP--GLS transitions and provides first-order estimates of ground-level concentration across geometric and momentum-ratio parameter space.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_17867
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Scalar Dispersion from Wall-Mounted Cylinders at Large Reynolds Number: Plume Transitions and Regime Classification
Amankwah, Kofi Agyemang
Bautista, Juan Carlos Cuevas
Oehmke, Theresa
White, Christopher M.
Zielinski, Lukasz
Chochua, Gocha
Speck, Andrew
Fluid Dynamics
Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics
This study presents a comprehensive experimental investigation of scalar dispersion from the free end of wall-mounted cylindrical obstacles immersed in a large-Reynolds-number turbulent boundary layer. A key focus is the characterization of transition behavior between distinct dispersion regimes: elevated plumes (EP), ground-level plumes (GLP), and ground-level sources (GLS). Experiments systematically vary the primary and secondary aspect ratios ($AR_1, AR_2$) and the velocity ratio ($ r$) to explore their effects on the evolution of scalar plumes. Plume classification is governed by the non-dimensional parameter $\tilde{h}_s / δ_{cz}$, which quantifies the progressive interaction between the plume and the ground. Here, $\tilde{h}_s$ denotes the effective source height and $δ_{cz}$, the vertical plume half-width. Detailed concentration measurements demonstrate that the EP--GLP--GLS transitions substantially modify both vertical and lateral dispersion characteristics. The measurements reveal systematic departures from classical dispersion-coefficient scaling. To assess the capability of existing models under these conditions, the experimentally determined dispersion coefficients are used to evaluate the Gaussian Dispersion Model (GDM) and a Wall Similarity Model (WSM). The GDM captures general trends but deviates in specific regimes, whereas the WSM offers improved representation under GLS conditions. The resulting dataset, grounded in systematic laboratory measurements, establishes a critical benchmark for validating numerical simulations and informing the development of next-generation predictive models. Finally, leveraging these results, a concise data-informed predictive framework is introduced that captures the EP--GLP--GLS transitions and provides first-order estimates of ground-level concentration across geometric and momentum-ratio parameter space.
title Scalar Dispersion from Wall-Mounted Cylinders at Large Reynolds Number: Plume Transitions and Regime Classification
topic Fluid Dynamics
Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.17867