Implementation of a New Model for Gravitational Collision Cross Sections in Nuclear Aerosol Codes

Models currently used in aerosol source codes for the gravitational collision efficiency are deficient in not accounting fully for two particle hydrodynamics (interception and inertia), which becomes important for larger particles. A computer code that accounts for these effects in calculating particle trajectories is used to find values of efficiency for a range of particle sizes. Simple fits to these data as a function of large particle diameter for a given particle diameter ratio are then obtained using standard linear regression, and a new model is constructed. This model is then implemented into two computer codes, AEROMECH and CONTAIN, Version 1.2. For a test problem, concentration distributions obtained with the new model and the standard model for efficiency are found to be markedly different.