WO1997000007A1

WO1997000007A1 - Method of acting on the lower layers of the atmosphere

Info

Publication number: WO1997000007A1
Application number: PCT/GB1995/002147
Authority: WO
Inventors: Sergei Leonidovich Vasilyev
Original assignee: Gwp Ltd
Current assignee: Gwp Ltd
Priority date: 1995-06-15
Filing date: 1995-09-08
Publication date: 1997-01-03
Anticipated expiration: 1997-12-15
Also published as: AU3478795A

Abstract

The invention relates to meteorology, and more particularly, to acting on the temperature surface inversion layer in the atmosphere. The method can be used both to prevent the formation of smog and/or disperse it and to protect the environment against exposure to dangerous chemicals and radionuclides should an industrial accident occur. The essence of the invention is that having determined the parameters of the temperature surface inversion layer in the atmosphere, the average wind direction from the ground surface to the upper boundary of the temperature inversion layer is calculated and then acted upon by a preheated upward air jet which is inclined at an angle of no less than 5° relative to said average wind direction. Descending air flows can be formed on the windward side of the action zone using the air flow created by a helicopter's main rotor or an airplane's wake or with the help of a course-dispersed powder of a specific surface of no less than 103m2/g which is dropped from above the upper boundary of the temperature inversion layer or by both methods at the same time.

Description

METHOD OF ACTING ON THE LOWER LAYERS

OF THE ATMOSPHERE

This invention relates to the general field of meteorology and more particularly to purposefully acting upon the layer of temperature surface inversion in the atmosphere which impedes the development of convective clouds. The method can in particular be used both to prevent the formation of smog and its dispersal and for the protection of environments against exposure to dangerous chemicals and radionuclides should an industrial accident occur.

A known method of acting upon the lower layers of the atmosphere has been developed whereby the amount of precipitation is increased by creating artificial convective clouds with the help of a ground installation of Meteotron type. The installation includes 97 to 105 burners arranged either in the form of a 125 metre square or in the form of a hexagon with a 36 metre radius or in the form of a three-branch spiral. Depending on the configuration used the burners cover an area of 4,000- 16,000 square metres. Oil is supplied at (10 to 15-16 litres/min) to each of the burners at a pressure of 60kg/cm2, which provides a power level for the installation of 6,000 to 1,000,000 kW. The burners are turned on individually with the help of a remote-control system. To create a stable convective flow, the upwardly directed burners operate in two modes : 5 to 10 minutes and 35 to 40 minutes. The main disadvantages of this known method are as follows:

1) incomplete fuel combustion;

2) fuel combustion is accompanied by an abundant formation of soot which pollutes the atmosphere;

3) uncontrollable dynamic quality of the vertical flow.

In another known method for affecting the lower layers of the atmosphere, tubo-jet engines are used to create a convective flow in the atmosphere (one to ten at a time) ; the power of the installation based on the use of four and ten engines is about 200,00 and 500,000 kW, respectively. The main element in the construction is a special nozzle into which flows from all the engines used in the installation are directed. This special nozzle is vertically oriented and equipped with an afterburner where the air jet is heated. The air velocity at the nozzle outlet is 425 to 570 metres/second and the nozzle outlet diameter is 2.26 to 2.66m. The amount of pollutants (kg) formed during the combustion of 1000kg of fuel in the turbo-jet engines is 3.3 for CO; 5.0 for N0₂; 0.3 for soot; 1.0 for S0₂; and 4.0 for C--H-..

The main disadvantages of this installation which is known as the Supermeteotron are as follows: 1) atmospheric pollution by fuel combustion products;

2) ineffective use of the kinetic energy of a jet which is deflected by the wind and acts on the inversion layer due to its own buoyancy force.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to reduce energy consumption and create an artificial convective cell which will destroy or disperse the intercepting layer of temperature inversion in the atmosphere.

According to the present invention there is provided a method of acting on the lower layers of the atmosphere, comprising the steps of determining the parameters of the temperature surface inversion layer in the atmosphere exposing said layer to a preheated upward air jet, calculating the average wind direction from the ground surface to the upper boundary of the temperature inversion layer and inclining the heated air jet at an angle of no less than 5° relative to said average wind direction.

In accordance with preferred methods of the invention, in order to increase the efficiency of said action on the lower layers of the atmosphere, additional air jets can be formed whose inclination angles relative to the average wind direction are not equal to each other, the sources of the air jets being spaced apart at more than 1.5m from each other. Furthermore, descending air flows can be formed on the windward side of the action zone by the main rotor of a helicopter or an airplanes wake or with the help of a course-dispersed powder with a specific surface no less than 10³m2/g which is dropped from above the upper boundary of the temperature inversion layer, or by both at the same time.

The principal distinction of the present invention over Jpiown methods is that the action on the inversion layer is not exerted to initiate additional precipitation but instead provides local ventilation of the lowest atmospheric layer by creating an artificial convective cell. In assessing the effect of this action in each individual case, a method of directly comparing the states of the intercepting layer using radar or radio sounding data is used. To forecast the movement of the artificial convective cell, a regularity governing the movement of a vortex formation in the atmosphere can be used whereby the vortex formation in the atmosphere is shifting relative to the point of deceleration of the tangential rotation component at its highest absolute value. The movement velocity and direction regularly vary depending on the potential of forces acting on the dynamic system of a "vortex-external wind" .

Other previously known methods for forecasting the movement of a vortex formation (which a convective cell actually is) do not make it possible to obtain the movement vector. An assumption is therefore made that a cloud is carried by the wind in the direction of the air mass movement.

A preferred method of the invention will now be described, by way of example only. Atmospheric sounding data is used to determine the vertical profile of the wind, the height and thickness of the intercepting layer in the atmosphere (temperature inversion or isothermal layer) , to calculate wind velocities and direction, and the average wind and its direction from the land surface to the upper boundary of the temperature inversion layer. The nozzle of the installation which forms a heated air flow is inclined relative to the average wind direction at an angle no less than 5° (at wind velocities up to 10 metres/second) . If the wind velocity is of the order of 15 to 20 metres/second, the nozzle can be inclined at an angle of 20 to 40°. The installation is then actuated. Maximum power mode is maintained for 20 to 60 minutes. To ensure greater efficiency, it is expedient to use several installations spaced at no less than 1.5 metres from one another, whose nozzles are inclined relative to the average wind direction at different angles.

To still further increase the effect, self-developing descending air flows (movements) can be formed using an airplane's wake or the air flow created by a helicopter's main rotor. Descending flows can also be formed with the help of a course-dispersed powder of no less than 10³m2/g specific surface which is dropped from above the upper boundary of the temperature inversion layer. The powder is dropped in special containers weighing 10 to 20 kg each. The aircraft approaches from the windward side of the forming artificial convective cell at a distance from it of no less than 10m and, making circular counter¬ clockwise revolutions, drops containers containing the course-dispersed powder which open at the flight height, i.e. above the upper boundary of the temperature inversion layer (intercepting layer) .

The different methods of forming descending air flows just referred to can also be used simultaneously.

Should the artificial convective cell leave the boundaries of the ventilated area, the entire procedure is repeated in the same order. If temperature and wind conditions are constant, the repeated procedure is reduced by periodically switching the installation on and off. The state of the intercepting layer is controlled using known methods such as thermal location, radio sounding, etc.

Claims

1. A method of acting upon the lower layers of the atmosphere, comprising the steps of determining the parameters of the temperature surface inversion layer in the atmosphere exposing said layer to a preheated upwardly directed airjet, calculating the average wind direction from the ground surface to the upper boundary of the temperature inversion layer, and inclining the upwardly directed heated air jet relative to the average ,wind direction at an angle of no less than 5°.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein additional upwardly directed air jets are formed whose inclination angles relative to the average wind direction are not equal to each other while the sources of the air jets are spaced apart at more than 1.5 metres from one another.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2 wherein descending air flows are formed on the windward side of the action zone using the airflow created by a helicopter's main rotor or an airplane's wake or with the help of a course-dispersed powder with a specific surface no less than 10³m²/g which is dropped from above the upper boundary of the temperature inversion layer or by both methods at the same time.

4. A method of acting upon the lower layers of the atmosphere substantially as herein described.