Why are smokestacks so high?

Why are smokestacks so high?

A smokestack, stack, or chimney is a tall vertical pipe or channel used by power plants to exhaust combustion gases into the air. This technique is to build the stack very high, because wind speeds are greater at high elevations, and the dispersion of the gases results in less gas remaining in a given area.

What is the purpose of smokestacks?

Coal power plants use tall smokestacks to release air pollutants like sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides high into the atmosphere, in an effort to disperse pollution and decrease the impact on the local community.

How is stack height selected?

TVA’s choice of stack heights has been based largely on (1) a consideration of environmental, design, and opera- tional factors for each site, (2) an accu- rate definition of dispersion from each of its previous and usually somewhat smaller plants, and (8) extrapolation of these data to a larger new plant with …

Where is the tallest chimney?

The reinforced concrete chimney is about 38 metres (125 ft) taller than the Inco Superstack in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. It is the tallest chimney ever built….

Ekibastuz GRES-2 Power Station
Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap
Country	Kazakhstan
Location	Ekibastuz

Should tall smokestacks be banned?

Should the construction of tall smokestacks be banned in an effort to promote greater emphasis on preventing air pollution and acid deposition? Yes because smokestacks are a point source pollution that emits lots of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Can a chimney be too tall?

Chimney Height Rules A chimney that’s too tall can result in the heated air cooling off by the time it reaches the top of the chimney stack. This can create a negative pressure inside of the smokestack that pushes smoke and other gases back into the home.

Why do ships have funnels?

The primary purpose of a ship’s funnel(s) is to lift the exhaust gases clear of the deck, in order not to foul the ship’s structure or decks, and to avoid impairing the ability of the crew to carry out their duties. In steam ships the funnels also served to help induce a convection draught through the boilers.

How do you calculate plume height?

Solution:

1. Calculate wind speed at stack height. u = u1 * (z/z1)p = 3 * (50/10)0.15 = 3.8 m/sec.
2. Check for downwash: Vs / u >= 1.5 (downwash conditions need not be considered) = 20.0/3.8 = 15.237 >1.5 (therefore downwash need not be considered)
3. Calculate plume height, Δh.
4. Calculate final effective plume height H.

What is the minimum height of the stack for industry in meters?

The height of the stack shall be atleast 30 metres.

What is code for chimney height?

R1003. Chimneys shall extend at least 2 feet (610 mm) higher than any portion of a building within 10 feet (3048 mm), but shall not be less than 3 feet (914 mm) above the highest point where the chimney passes through the roof.

How tall is the world’s tallest chimney?

1,377ft
They hope soon to scale the GRES-2 Power Station chimney at Ekibastuz, Kazakhstan, which at 419m (1,377ft) is reputed to be the tallest in the world.

Why are smokestacks bad for the environment?

Pollution from a tall stack gets carried by wind currents far downstream, and it tends to hang out in the air for longer, providing ample opportunity for conversion to particle pollution (soot), acid rain and ozone—which all cause major damage to human health and the environment.

Why taller smoke stacks are better than shorter ones at improving air quality in the immediate area?

Taller smokestacks reduce the impact of pollutants on the local area by spreading the released pollutants over a larger area.

What is the 3 2 10 rule?

This rule means that your chimney’s shortest side needs to be at least 3 feet above the roof penetration, and its top has to be 2 feet higher than any part of the building that’s within 10 feet.

Is chimney too short?

If the chimney is not tall enough, your fireplace will suffer from inadequate draft and not function properly or safely. A chimney that is too short cannot vent correctly and can become a serious fire hazard to your home.

How many of the smokestacks on the ship Titanic actually worked?

The Titanic had four smokestacks (or funnels), but only three actually carried smoke from the furnaces.

Where are the Titanic funnels?

When Dr. Ballard explored the wreck of the Titanic he noted that they did not see any of the ship’s funnels. The following expeditions also did not find the funnels. Since those early expeditions, pieces of funnels have been found within the 3 X 5 mile debris field.

What is effective stack height?

The effective stack height is the sum of the actual physical height of the top of the stack, plus any plume rise due to buoyancy or initial momentum (inertia) of the rising effluent, minus any downwash such as stack downwash, building downwash, or terrain downwash.

What is Briggs equation?

The Gaussian air pollutant dispersion equation (discussed above) requires the input of H which is the pollutant plume’s centerline height above ground level—and H is the sum of Hs (the actual physical height of the pollutant plume’s emission source point) plus ΔH (the plume rise due the plume’s buoyancy).

What is GEP stack height?

According to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations, GEP stack height is defined to be the tallest of the following: 65 meters (213 feet), as measured from the ground-level elevation at the base of the stack.