LOCAL ASPECTS OF VEHICULAR POLLUTION

We consider the local aspects of vehicular pollution by the use of 1:1 0 scale models. The model automobiles were placed in a low-velocity wi nd tunnel to simulate a queue of slow-moving city traffic and tracer g asses were then injected into the air flow though the tail pipes fitte d to two of the models. Measurements show that the exhaust gases are e ntrained in the wake of the vehicle from which they were emitted, and are dispersed mainly by the passage of the following car. The spatial distribution of tracer gas along and across the models suggests that t he level of pollution received by a commuter in a slow-moving heavy tr affic may be strongly influenced by the pollution produced from the ca r immediately in front. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd