Knowing the behavior of emissions of gases and odors in real time, is the first step to reducing time and performing an appropriate management against possible impacts on the environment. Addressing and effectively managing these events will benefit both companies and communities.

   After 12 months of development and testing, TSG Environmental announces the launch of Smart Plume®, the web-based visualization tool for the dispersion of pollutants and odors that, using the WRF weather forecast and surface information, as well as of topography, allow us to see the scope, form and concentration of the emissions of polluting material. Smart Plume® projects the boom of the gas, particulate or odor, to alert to risks of impact in the community and to know the productive area that is causing the greatest contribution in concentration.

   The challenge was the construction of a tool capable of showing the state of the emission of odors and pollutants every 10 minutes. The software, which is accessed through the web, represents the dispersion of emissions from a facility online with multiple sources, using the meteorological base built by WRF (Weather Research and Forecasting Model) and Calmet, the Calpuff meteorological processor, which incorporates data on land use, topography and three-dimensional meteorology with the option of entering surface meteorology observed in real time, to increase the representativeness of the local atmospheric situation and unfavorable dispersion events.

   In various industries there are processes that involve generation and / or emissions of gases and odors. Inadequate management can generate consequences for the environment, nearby communities and the company itself. Knowing when the community will be affected by the emissions of industrial processes conditioned by the atmospheric situation, is the challenge that industries face today to prevent claims and / or complaints.

   When referring to the local atmospheric situation, one it is important to that meteorology plays a fundamental role in the emissions and concentrations of pollutants in the atmosphere, whose main factors such as transport or dispersion, among others, condition the reaction, movement and dilution of the pollutants in the layers of the atmosphere.

 How does Smart Plume® work?

   The parameters of pollutant emissions are captured by remote sensors that send the information to our servers housed in the cloud, where the information is processed to produce the scatter pen. The system has the ability to issue alarms via web and cell phones according to criteria previously agreed with customers. Each client has keys that allow only the visualization of their information, thus ensuring the confidentiality of the data. In odors, emission data are collected on land according to NCh 3386: 2015 and NCh 3190: 2010.

   Smart Plume® uses as a base 2 models recommended by the Environmental Assessment Service of Chile. The first of these is the WRF (Weather Research and Forecasting), currently the most advanced model in meteorological prediction and which was developed by NCAR (National Center for Atmospheric Research) and NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and is represented by NCEP ( National Centers for Environmental Prediction). The second one is the Calpuff dispersion model, an alternative model indicated by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency of the USA) and developed by Exponent.

   Smart Plume® was designed and developed in Chile, so it has technical support at the local level, reducing response times for technical advice.

   TSG Environmental is a company with more than 22 years of experience in Chile and South America, specializing in the measurement, evaluation, treatment, control and monitoring of gaseous emissions. With more than 600 projects carried out in 5 countries, and offices in Santiago and Concepción, it has a specialized staff to help companies of all categories and sizes manage their gaseous emissions.

   Press note. Source: TSG Environmental