Fluid dynamic analysis of pollutants’ dispersion behind an aircraft engine during idling

The potential impact of emissions from airports on human health and air quality has become a significant issue. The aim of this paper is to investigate the dispersion behind an aircraft engine during idle-engine operations at airports. When these operations are conducted on the apron, jet engine emissions worsen the air quality where ground handling personnel works and passengers embark or disembark. Ground operations at airports are designed according to the International Civil Aviation Organization jet blast definition that indicates the exhaust gas velocity of 56 km/h as the threshold limit for the comfort of operations behind an aircraft, without considering the pollutants’ dispersion and concentration levels. In this paper, carbon monoxide (CO), formaldehyde (CH2O), and acrolein (C3H4O) dispersion behind a twin engine jet aircraft during idling is investigated using a computational fluid dynamic tool. The complete geometry of a Boeing 737-500 is used as reference. The steady-state simulation of turbulent jet flow is carried out using a realizable k − ε model. Three different scenarios are investigated at standard day conditions—101,325 Pa and 288 K, with no wind, and the plume concentrations are presented and discussed. CO, CH2O, and C3H4O concentration curves are drawn and compared with the exposure threshold limit defined by scientific international communities to guarantee human health. The information provided from this study represents a first step in understanding apron air quality issues during idle-engine operations.