Abstract Description: The U.S. EPA released a draft version of BPIPPRM tool in mid-2019. BPIPPRM is used to develop direction-specific equivalent building dimensions used as input to the AERMOD model to simulate the impacts of downwash. The new draft version of BPIPPRM (v19191) makes numerous performance enhancements to the tool, which has remained unchanged since December 2004. These performance enhancements include new turbulence enhancement and velocity deficit equations, changes in plume parameters at discrete downwind distances, and improvements to calculation of effective cross-flow building width for rectangular elongated buildings.
This paper will present a case study applying the current default version of BPIPPRM (v04274) and the draft version of BPIPPRM (v19191) to an array of point source locations and building configurations. Specifically, hypothetical source locations will be considered for the full extent of downwash affected area of the hypothetical buildings. Building configurations will primarily represent rectangular structures to more thoroughly evaluate the tool performance enhancements. The analysis will seek to determine the conditions (e.g. source location relative to buildings) under which the different tools produce significant differences in calculated equivalent building dimensions. Additionally, AERMOD will also be run for hypothetical source locations to determine the impacts on concentration outputs resulting from the differences in equivalent building dimensions.
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