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Title: ANALYSIS OF FLUX CHAMBERS FOR MEASURING VOC EMISSIONS AT SOIL AND WATER SURFACE

Author
item GAO, FANG - U.C. RIVERSIDE
item Yates, Scott

Submitted to: Proceedings of the Control of Odors and Volatile Organic Compounds Emission
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/20/1997
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Flux chamber methods have been used for measuring gas emissions from agricultural soils as well as waste treatment and disposal sites. Applications of flux chambers for measuring gas emissions at water surfaces, wastewater surfaces and wetland surfaces have been also reported in literature. Although chambers are widely used, some problems associated with them remain unsolved. In this study, we analyze both closed and flow-through chambers using the diffusion theory and mass balance. Mathematical models for shallow closed chambers and an flow-through chamber with a special aerodynamic design are developed to simulate the measurement of gas emissions at surfaces. Simulations of the shallow closed chambers show that the flux decreases with time after the chamber placement which indicates that applying a linear model may lead to a serious underestimate of the real flux. To obtain unbiased estimates, nonlinear models should be used. For this purpose, a nonlinear model and the corresponding procedures of chamber operation to obtain necessary data are proposed.