Models and tools for the simulation of exhaust dispersion in oil and gas offshore platforms

In the framework of worker safety on offshore oil&gas platforms, the respect of Threshold Limit Values is particularly critical, due to the number of pollutant sources and to the peculiarly congested layout of the installation. For example, relevant sources of emissions are diesel engines and gas turbines that emit CO and NOx affecting workers health and causing temperature gradients, harmful for helideck operations. The present study is focused on the wind-obstacles interaction and its consequences on the pollutant dispersion in a platform deck, in order to improve the knowledge about tools and models that may be adopted to better predict the pollutant concentration and stagnation areas with different conditions of wind directions and intensities. This paper presents the results of the adoption different turbulence models, two of which have not been tested yet in offshore CFD simulations: LES and DES.