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EUROPEAN ORGANISATION

FOR THE SAFETY OF AIR NAVIGATION

EUROCONTROL EXPERIMENTAL CENTRE


EUROCONTROL

AIRPORT LOCAL AIR QUALITY


STUDIES
(ALAQS)

Concept Document
Issue – 2.1

EEC/SEE/2005/003

SOCIETY-ENVIRONMENT-ECONOMY
(report title)

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ALAQS - Airport Local Air Quality Studies CONCEPT DOCUMENT

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Airports bring many benefits, but airport operations can have a significant impact on those
living nearby. Airport activities affect the environment in several ways, contributing to
increased noise and emissions, and degrading air quality. Airport operators and airlines face
pressure from two fronts – the real environmental impact of increasing air traffic, and
increasing public awareness of local air quality around airports. This pressure translates into
additional constraints on airport capacity which compound constraints already in place for
noise restrictions and mandatory air quality limits such as EU Directive 1999/30/EC due to
come into force in 2010 [Ref 3.].

Thus local air quality is an increasingly important issue for airports. Many airport operators
are well aware of the local air quality issues. A high profile example is the third runway issue
at London Heathrow where BAA acknowledges their stewardship for air quality issues
concerning the airport [Ref 8.]. To comply with national and international air quality directives
and strategies airport operators must carry out detailed assessments of the impact of
pollution. And, as a consequence, airports need a consistent and accurate methods and
tools to assess the current and future impact of their activities on air quality. In Europe airport
authorities can use several commercial products to assess local air quality, but the methods
employed by these tools are often not completely suitable to the complex situation at a
typical airport.

The EUROCONTROL Experimental Centre ALAQS (Airport Local Air Quality Studies)
Project addresses the strategic, methodological and practical issues surrounding air quality
assessment around airports. The aim of the project is to raise awareness among airport
operators and practitioners about ‘best practice’ emissions inventory and dispersion
modelling methods that are specifically relevant to all European airports. ALAQS achieves
this aim through case studies using the ALAQS-AV test-bed resulting in guidelines and
methods that can be applied at a Pan-European level. The GIS-based tool ALAQS-AV was
developed especially for the ALAQS project and draws on new and existing methods.
ALAQS-AV can be used to conduct airport air quality studies, or as a test-bed for comparing
different emission factors, inventory and dispersion methodologies.

In the context of demonstrating different methodologies, a number of case studies have been
commissioned by the ALAQS project at several European airports whose operators have
acknowledged experience in air quality monitoring and environmental issues. Also, some
Eastern European airports have shown interest to participate in the ALAQS project during
European air quality working groups, and case studies have also been initiated with them.

The first section of this report presents an overview of airport air quality concepts and the
history of the ALAQS project; the second section describes the scope of the ALAQS project
and provides a description of the toolset and database; the third section describes the
emission estimation methods implemented in ALAQS for different airport sources; and the
last section presents the current development on dispersion modelling and how this is
integrated in the ALAQS project, and provides details on collaboration projects conducted
with universities in the field of atmospheric chemistry.

The ALAQS-AV user manual and more detailed reports on the case studies can be found on
the EEC website: http://www.eurocontrol.int/eec/public/related_links/SEE_reports.html .

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REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE

Reference: Security Classification:

SEE Note No. EEC/SEE/2005/003 Unclassified


Originator: Originator (Corporate Author) Name/Location:

Society, Environment, Economy EUROCONTROL Experimental Centre


Research Area Centre de Bois des Bordes
B.P.15
91222 BRETIGNY SUR ORGE CEDEX
France
Telephone: +33 1 69 88 75 00
Sponsor: Sponsor (Contract Authority) Name/Location:

EUROCONTROL EATM EUROCONTROL Agency


Rue de la Fusée, 96
B –1130 BRUXELLES
Telephone: +32 2 729 90 11
TITLE:
Report Title Airport Local Air Quality Studies (ALAQS) - Concept Document
Issue 2.1

Authors : Date Pages Figures Tables Appendix References

Ayce CELIKEL, Ian 01/06 34 9 2 6


FULLER, Marcel SILUE,
Serge PEETERS, Nicolas
DUCHENE

EATMP Task Project Task No. Sponsor Period


Specification
- ALAQS - 2002-2006

Distribution Statement:
(a) Controlled by: EUROCONTROL Project Manager
(b) Special Limitations: None
(c) Copy to NTIS: YES / NO
Descriptors (keywords):
Local air quality - Emissions - Pollutants - Airport Sources - Dispersion modelling

Abstract:
The concept document describes the methods and philosophy of the Eurocontrol Airport
Local Air Quality Studies (ALAQS) project and the ALAQS-AV toolset (April 2005 version).

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................... iii

INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................... 1
Overview ............................................................................................................................................. 1
History................................................................................................................................................. 1
Case Studies ...................................................................................................................................... 2

ALAQS Project Design and Objectives ................................................................... 4


Airport Emission Sources: .................................................................................................................. 4
Pollutants ............................................................................................................................................ 5
The ALAQS-AV toolset ....................................................................................................................... 6

Activity profiles............................................................................................................................... 7

Aircraft movement data ................................................................................................................. 7

Gate scenarios............................................................................................................................... 7

Emission calculations in ALAQS-AV ............................................................................................. 8

ALAQS Emission Factor Database .................................................................................................... 9

Methodologies......................................................................................................... 11
Aircraft Emissions ............................................................................................................................. 11

Taxiway emissions....................................................................................................................... 11

Vertical profiles. ........................................................................................................................... 12

Aircraft Grouping.......................................................................................................................... 13

Engine type.................................................................................................................................. 14

Selection of a methodology for gate and road vehicle emissions .................................................... 15


Gate emissions (GSE, APU, GPU and Engine Start)....................................................................... 15
Vehicle Emissions............................................................................................................................. 17
Stationary Source Emissions............................................................................................................ 19

Dispersion Modelling and Chemistry .................................................................... 20

Future Work ............................................................................................................. 22

References............................................................................................................... 23

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LIST OF TABLES

TABLE 1: AIRCRAFT GROUPS .........................................................................................................................15


TABLE 2: GSE TECHNICAL AND OPERATIONAL PARAMETERS.............................................................16
TABLE 3: ENGINE START AIRCRAFT GROUPS AND EMISSION INDICES..............................................17

LIST OF FIGURES

FIGURE 1: AIRPORT EMISSION SOURCES ......................................................................................................5


FIGURE 2: ALAQS-AV SCREEN SHOT FOR DATA INPUT ............................................................................6
FIGURE 3: ALAQS - EXAMPLE OF INVENTORY RESULTS REPRESENTATION - NOX...........................9
FIGURE 4: ALAQS-AV DATABASE SCHEMATIC .........................................................................................10
FIGURE 5: CLIMB-OUT PROFILES - ALAQS DEFAULT AND INM FOR A LARGE JET (B772) .............13
FIGURE 6: AIRCRAFT GROUPING EXAMPLE - ONE YEAR OF TRAFFIC MOVEMENTS (2003)..........14
FIGURE 7: GSE EMISSION METHODOLOGY OVERVIEW ..........................................................................16
FIGURE 8: VEHICLE EMISSIONS - ALAQS METHOD SCHEMATIC ..........................................................18
FIGURE 9: ALAQS DISPERSION MODEL INTERFACE OVERVIEW...........................................................21

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ABBREVIATIONS

Acronym Definition
ACARE Advisory Council for Aviation Research in Europe.
ALAQS Airport Local Air Quality Studies
ALAQS-AV ALAQS tool
ANCAT Abatement of Nuisances Caused by Air Transport
ANTLE Affordable Near Term Low Emissions
AP AirPort
APU Auxiliary Power Unit
AV Arc View
BAA British Airports Authority
CAEP Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection
CITEPA Centre Interprofessionnel Technique d'études de la Pollution Atmosphérique.
CNG Compressed Natural Gas
COPERT III Computer Program to calculate Emissions from Road Transport III
Acronym for air emission inventory initially developed in the frame of the CORINE
CORINAIR
programme COoRdination d'INformation anvironnementale.
ECAC European Civil Aviation Conference
EDMS Emission and Dispersion Modeling Software (US EPA)
EEA European Environmental Agency
EEC Eurocontrol Experimental Centre
EPA US Environmental Protection Agency
FAA Federal Aviation Administration
FOI Swedish Aviation Instirute
GIS Geographical Information System
GPU Ground Power Unit
GSE Ground System Equipment
HDV Heavy Duty Vehicle
IATA International Air Transport Association
ICAO International Civil Aviation Organization
INM Integrated Noise Model
LDV Light Duty Vehicle
LPG Liquefied Petroleum Gas
LTO ICAO Landing and Take Off cycle
PC Passenger Car
SEE Social, Economic and Environment
STNA Service Technique de la Navigation Aerienne (French Civil Aviation Authority)
UNIQUE Zurich airport operator

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INTRODUCTION

Overview
The aviation industry is experiencing rapid growth and there are increasing environmental
concerns about noise pollution and the degradation of local air quality and the resulting
effects on human health (e.g. Tunstall-Pedoe et al, 19961) ). At airports in particular, there
are also non-aircraft pollution sources related to land-based transport, aircraft supply and
support equipment, fuel tanks, refuelling facilities, etc. Airports are also intermodal transport
hubs, including nearby roadways and industries; these sources can make it difficult to
determine the effect of airport-induced emissions on the environment.
To address the health concerns related to local air pollution, legislators have developed
framework directives on ambient air quality assessment. Besides the EU Framework
Directives, some European countries are also developing national Air Quality Strategies.
However, it is difficult to estimate the airport-related pollution by only monitoring the ambient
air quality, as there are also other sources that contribute to the overall pollution. Therefore,
estimating the contribution of airport sources relative to regional pollution can only be
achieved by modelling2. The modelling comprises both inventory of the emission quantities,
and dispersion modelling to estimate the atmospheric concentrations of the pollutants.
The ALAQS project aims to promote ‘best practice’ in airport air quality modelling, through a
series of studies based on the demonstration and implementation of emissions inventory and
dispersion modelling methods and parameters. To demonstrate the merits of each method,
the project uses a GIS (Geographical Information System) based toolset – ALAQS-AV. The
choice of a GIS as a test bench simplifies the process of defining the various airport
elements (runways, taxiways, buildings, etc.) and allows the spatial distribution of emissions
to be visualized.

History
EUROCONTROL has supported international and European environmental groups with
several projects related to ATM and environment. Recently local air quality issues have also
become a concern, as it is believed that this could have a constraining effect on airport
capacity in the long-term. Thus, developing a methodology to estimate the effect of airport
operations on local air quality became important, as it is complex to estimate the air quality
effect of airport operations: First the quantity and rates of emissions for each source have to
be estimated, and then plume concentrations must be calculated.
Air quality issues around airports create some health concerns for society. These concerns
are typically managed through national or regional regulatory frameworks and standards for
air pollution. A variety of pollutants are regulated: Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), Sulphur Dioxide
(SO2), Carbon Monoxide (CO), Hydrocarbons (HC or VOC), Ozone (O3), Particulate Matter

1 Tunstall-Pedoe, N., Raper, D. W. and Holden, J. (Eds) (1996) Airports and the Environment
- liabilities and social responsibilities. Proceedings of International Conference, Manchester
Airport, July 1995. Thomas Telford, London. ISBN 0 7277 2520 3

2 Rogers H. L., Lee D. S., Raper D. W., Forster P. M. de F., Wilson C. W. and Newton P. The
impacts of aviation on the atmosphere. QINETIC/FST/CAT/TR021654

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(PM10 or PM2.5) as well as a number of heavy metals (e.g. lead). As a result, airport
authorities often have to monitor these pollutants in the airport surroundings.
The industry response to this issue is extensive. In particular the industry has commissioned
a number of studies (for example AEROCERT, AERO2K) to better understand strengths and
sources of emissions, and operational characteristics of key sources such as aircraft. ICAO
publishes engine emission certifications for several pollutants (unburned hydrocarbons,
nitrogen oxides, and carbon monoxide). At the local level, airports are working alongside
regional partners and stakeholders to assess the impact of airport emissions on local air
quality, and to develop management strategies and plans.
Governments and international organisations are also showing interest in the local air quality
issues. AERONET and ICAO WG2 have both launched working groups on air quality issues.
The SEE business area ALAQS (Airport Local Air Quality Studies) project has started to
develop Pan-European methodology in order to assess the contribution of aviation to the
surrounding local air quality. However, as there is currently no standardised European
approach, some airports have developed their own methods and approaches to conduct
ALAQS studies.
During the ALAQS project the GIS-based ALAQS-AV tool was developed to create a test bed
for different methods and emission factors. After almost two years of development ALAQS-
AV has achieved a certain maturity, but several evolutions are planned in 2005 to continue
improving the tool. The integration of dispersion modelling systems (such as LASAT) is
foreseen with the use of a ‘smoothed and shifted’ approach and studies of atmospheric
chemistry modelling issues will be undertaken based on collaborative research with Brunel
University and Richard Ramaroson of ONERA. . Also, in the context of demonstrating the
effect of using different methodologies and different parameters, some Airport case studies
were commissioned. Zurich Airport was chosen as a case study for the final development
stage, as they have acknowledged experience in air quality monitoring and modelling. This
case study follows a number of other collaborations carried out during the development
phase of ALAQS, with organisations such as Lyon Airport, Zurich Airport UNIQUE, STNA,
MMU, BAA and air quality working groups.

Case Studies
The ALAQS project received interest from European airport operators and the European
Community. Several case studies at European airports were completed and more are
planned. The added value of case studies to the project is to improve emission calculation
methodologies via the investigation and validation of different methods and parameters, as
well as to obtain operational data via expert users. In parallel, a better understanding of data
requirements is expected, together with a data availability assessment and the identification
of limitations due to non-expert users.
Initial case studies were made at Lyon Airport in 2003 and 2004. Another study at Zurich
Airport provided a comparison of three inventory methods (ALAQS-AV v1, LASPORT v1.2,
and EDMS v4.12) using different emission factors and aircraft vertical profiles. Other partners
showed interest in conducting air quality studies with ALAQS-AV and these studies started in
2004 (Bucharest Henri Coanda airport, Warsaw F. Chopin airport, and Munich Technical
University).
These case studies have shown that the data currently collected at airports does not
necessarily correspond to the data specified in the methodologies. As ALAQS-AV is used as
a test-bench for these studies, it serves to identify issues concerning the data collection,
which in turn gives important feedback for improvement of the tool and the methods. Method

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improvements may also be initiated through sensitivity analyses using the case study data,
and field measurements are planned to validate dispersion modelling methods.
The case studies can also be used to extrapolate future scenario estimations.
Following each case study, a report will be published comprising the following sections:
Study definition
Data collection
ALAQS-AV set-up
4D emission inventory simulation (i.e. 3 dimensions for x, y, z axis plus time)
Presentation of results
The outputs of the case studies are used as feedback for review of the methods and
parameters.
For future case studies, new environmental scenarios, which include forecasts to future
years, will be considered together with the resulting dispersion modelling.

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ALAQS Project Design and Objectives


The ALAQS project, initiated in 2003, is part of the EEC SEE environmental study program. It
focuses on airport environmental effects, which can impact airport capacity, which in turn has
a direct effect on the ATM efficiency. The concept of the project was initiated in the light of
European and international working groups such as AERONET, and ICAO WG2, which
highlighted the need to harmonise the emission inventory methodologies and emission
factors, and to develop reliable and verified dispersion models.
One of the principal aims of the ALAQS project was therefore to develop a toolset in order to
build a capability for airport air quality modelling. ALAQS-AV is the GIS-based toolset
developed for the ALAQS project. It provides the capability to conduct 4D emission
inventories for all airport emission sources, as listed in the sections below. Case studies are
also part of the project to provide validation and verification feedback for the methodologies
and data used in the toolset. The development of improved capability for dispersion
modelling and atmospheric chemistry interactions was the other main objective of the
ALAQS project.
During 2004 the first operational version of the ALAQS-AV toolset was finalised and used for
case studies. This version is limited to the preparation of 4D emission inventories for all
airport sources and some pollutants. Future versions of ALAQS-AV will include an interface
tool to convert ALAQS emissions output compatible for dispersion models and will integrate
at least two different dispersion modelling approaches (Gaussian, Lagrangian and/or
Eulerian).
The following sections summarise which airport sources and pollutants were taken into
consideration, and provide a description of the toolset and the emission factors database.

Airport Emission Sources:


In the ALAQS project, air emissions from airports are categorised according to the following
broad source groups:
Aircraft: Emissions from aircraft are mainly caused by fuel combustion in the engines and
auxiliary power units (APU), tyre and brake wear. Aircraft emissions in ALAQS-AV cover the
engine emissions during the LTO cycle between ‘off-block/on-block’ and 3000ft above
aerodrome reference point (ARP). Engine start and APU/GPU emissions are calculated as
part of the emissions from ‘stand equipment’ (see below).
Stand equipment (GSE, APU, GPU and engine start emissions): Ground support
equipment (GSE) includes all the ground handling equipment and vehicles normally
associated with an aircraft arrival or departure at the aircraft parking location (stand), whether
that is an open stand or pier. The GSE category includes mobile generators, air start
compressors, tugs, baggage handling equipment, and fuel trucks/loaders. In ALAQS-AV the
aircraft engine starts and emissions from APU/GPU whilst aircraft are on-stand are included
in the stand emissions.
Stationary sources: Airports generally own and operate a number of power generation
plants that are typically fuelled by natural gas or diesel. In addition, fuel tanks, fire training
exercises, aircraft maintenance and de-icing are small contributors to total air emissions.
Vehicle sources: These include ‘airside’ and ‘landside’ vehicles that can be attributed to
roadways.

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Airside vehicles include any vehicle that circulates on airside service roads inside the
operational area of the airport, such as service vehicles, coaches, tankers, and catering
trucks. Note that vehicles related to on-stand (gate) operations are catered for in the Ground
Support Equipment (GSE) emission category.
Landside vehicles include all road vehicle movements outside the airport operational area.
Vehicles include passenger cars and taxis, coaches, Heavy Duty Vehicles (HDV), Light Duty
Vehicle (LDV) and in the near future light and heavy rail.

For each of these sources ALAQS-AV proposes one or more methodologies to calculate the
emissions (see later sections). Figure 1 shows an example of some different airport
emission sources, with a different colour per source category.

Aircraft Take-off/Landing Taxi Start-up, APU/GPU

Stationary Power Generation Fuel Storage, De-icing Heating

Vehicles Airside roads Car parks Public roads

GSE GSE

QUEUE

Figure 1: Airport emission sources

Pollutants
Numerous pollutants are emitted from aviation fuel combustion and other airport activities,
many of which are important due to their health effects. Key pollutants of interest for airport
local air quality studies are CO, VOC, NOx, PM and ozone; keeping in mind that they are not
necessarily the same as regulated pollutants (As they are part of national monitoring strategy
while the airport pollutants are local interest).
The table below shows all pollutants and those which are relevant to airports and those
modelled by ALAQS.

Carbon Monoxide: The major sources of CO within airport environs are: petrol- and diesel-
fuelled motor vehicles, stationary plants and aircraft engines.

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Hydrocarbons: Hydrocarbons or VOC are important components of air quality concerns


relating to health. The major emission sources in airport environs are the motor vehicles and
aircraft engines, as well as the releases associated with refuelling and fuel storage.
Oxides of Nitrogen: There are many chemical species of nitrogen, the most important in
terms of air quality terms being NO and NO2, (reported together as NOx for ALAQS). They
are emitted from aircraft and fuel combustion processes including vehicles and fixed plants.
Within airport environs the major sources of NOx are motor vehicles, stationary plants and
aircraft.
Particulate Matter: Particulate matter is not a single pollutant, but made up of particles of
many different sizes and chemical composition from a wide range of natural and
anthropogenic (man-made) sources. So far only PM10 (i.e. the size of which is below 10
microns) are considered in ALAQS-AV, but it is foreseen that in the near future PM2.5 and
PM01 will be considered as well. Within the airport environs the major source of fine particles
is fossil fuel combustion, i.e. road vehicles, aircraft and stationary plants.
The ALAQS-AV toolset stores emission factors for each emission source in the system
database. A literature review and some research collaborations during the project were the
main sources of this data. Data sources were airport operational data, and other data from
STNA, BAA, FAA, EPA, etc. For some pollutants, such as PM, there is still a large amount of
uncertainty in the quality of the emission factors.
The emission factors currently included in the ALAQS-AV emission inventory database are
CO, HC, NOx, SOx and PM10. However, not all the emission factors are available for the
different road vehicle types. SOx and PM10 emission factors are not included in the ICAO
aircraft engine database, so substitute indicative figures were used instead.

The ALAQS-AV toolset


As part of the ALAQS project the ALAQS-AV toolset was developed to facilitate estimation of
detailed airport emissions inventories and dispersion modelling. ALAQS-AV is a customised
Geographical Information System (GIS) application based on ArcMap - ArcView 9.0®. It is
designed to capture airport pollution sources, and to process different types of emission
source estimates into a standard format in preparation of dispersion modelling. It was
developed on behalf of
Eurocontrol.
Before a project can be started in
ALAQS-AV the user has to
import airport mapping data that
will be used to capture the
location of the different emission
sources. The importation of
mapping data is carried out by
means of standard ArcView
functionalities. This spatial
database describes the location
and dimensions of the emission
sources. The application
handles the four emission source
Figure 2: ALAQS-AV Screen Shot for Data Input categories described in the
previous sections. An example is
provided in Figure 2

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When a new project is started the user also specifies the study global parameters such as
the airport location (latitude/longitude). This will ensure that the project data layers can be
geo-referenced with other airports or regional map data.
Based on the background airport map the user captures the different emission sources. For
aircraft emissions four feature layers need to be captured: runways, queue areas, taxiways
and gates (or stands). For non-aircraft emissions four additional layers are captured:
stationary and area sources, roadways and parking lots. For each feature captured the user
has to enter the required attributes.
The simplified data entry and study management in ALAQS-AV uses some aggregation
techniques for describing the behaviour of some fixed sources: the temporal activity profiles
and the gate scenarios.

Activity profiles

Temporal activity profiles (also known as ‘operational profiles’ in EDMS, or ‘time courses’ in
LASPORT) are important attributes of non-aircraft emission data. They are intended to
capture the typical intensity of an emission source’s activity for each hour of the year, relative
to the annual total. Activity profiles are derived from available hourly, daily and monthly
operational data and statistics. Those figures are expected to be provided by airport
operators. Wherever possible, activity profiles are created based on local data for the airport
studied; if local data is unavailable, default airport activity profiles may be substituted. Once
valid profiles have been obtained, they can easily be captured in ALAQS-AV through the
activity profiles definition window. The subsequent repartition of the emissions is much more
detailed from both the geographical and temporal point of view.

Aircraft movement data

Aircraft emissions in ALAQS-AV use a movement based method. LTO (landing take-off
cycle) methods, which are defined by the ICAO, are sufficient for calculating the total
emissions exhausted over a selected period. However, a movement based method is
essential for accurately describing the spatial/temporal distribution of emissions, since
aircraft will use different runway/gate combinations for arrival and departure.
The aircraft movements table is provided by the user in database format. For each
movement, the table specifies the date, time, type of aircraft (ICAO code), type of operation
(arrival/departure), gate (stand) and runway. The movement table can either be actual
movement data collected from the airport, or data generated by a simulator (e.g. TAAM3 or
RAMS).

Gate scenarios

Gate scenarios are a means to define for each ‘gate type’ – ‘aircraft group’ combination the
amount of pollutants released at the gate during departure and arrival operations. A gate
scenario includes emissions from the GSE (Ground Support Equipment), an APU (Auxiliary
Power Unit) and a GPU (Ground Power Unit). Aircraft taxi routes have to be defined between
gates and runways (and vice versa). For each taxi route, taxiway segments are selected from
gate to runway or vice versa (The new version of ALAQS selects automatically). There are
two ways to define the taxi route network in ALAQS-AV: one is automatic and based on the
theoretical shortest geometric route while the other is based on a manual selection of the

3 Total Airspace and Airport Modeller, www.preston.net/products/TAAM.htm

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taxiway segments, which allows depicting the operational situation of a particular airport. The
latest method appears to be necessary as it happens that most of the time the theoretical
shortest routes cannot be used. Once defined the taxi routes are used during the emission
calculation, and the ALAQS-AV tool allocating a taxi route to each movement depending on
its origin and destination (i.e. gate & runway for a departure, and runway & gate for an
arrival). Gate emissions are computed for each movement at the gate and time specified in
the movement table.

Emission calculations in ALAQS-AV

The hourly emissions can be calculated by ALAQS-AV once all the emission sources and
their attributes have been captured in the system. The prerequisite data includes the above
inputs, and also the following list of items (for which default figures are available in the
ALAQS-AV default database):
• data for aircraft engine emissions
• engine start emissions
• aircraft profiles
• When creating a new project, the user must first specify:
- Airport location (latitude/longitue elevation)
- Vehicle fleet year and fleet country
- Emission methodology for parkings and roadways
- Average temperature
ALAQS-AV then creates a project database based on the default database (an ESRI
personal geodatabase).
Before launching an emission calculation process a movements table needs to be selected
and a calculation period defined by means of a start and end data/time. The ALAQS-AV
system then automatically performs the following actions:
• merge of all the different types of emission features in a single layer called Merged
Sources.
• calculation of hourly emissions for the selected period, for each source
• generation of a log table listing processing messages, warnings and errors
• storage of results in the database (also an ESRI personal geodatabase). Calculations
for different periods of time will automatically be stored in different results files, the
name of which includes the date and time of the run of the model.
The merging, calculation and storage of results only happen when the emission calculation
process is launched i.e. not when a new project is created. A new results database is created
for each calculation process.
Results of the calculation process can be displayed by means of a visualisation tool, as
shown in the example below. The user selects a period and a pollutant, and the intensity of
the emissions is then represented spatially through a graduated colour scheme so that high
and low emission areas are easily identified. Since runway emissions (climb-out and
approach) occur in a vertical plane above the runway they are projected on a horizontal
plane along the runways for visualisation.

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Figure 3: ALAQS - Example of inventory results representation - NOx

For a full explanation of how to use the ALAQS-AV tool, refer to the ALAQS-AV Application
Reference Manual [ref.2].
ALAQS-AV was used as above for the case studies for Lyon Airport, and then for Zurich
Airport, to compare three different methodologies which are described later in this report
(ALAQS, LASPORT, EDMS).
Future versions of ALAQS-AV should incorporate modifications and improvements resulting
from the users' feedback collected through the case studies.
ALAQS-AV is coded in VBA. To help with distribution issues future versions may be
implemented as a DLL. The DLL will be compiled from VB code.

ALAQS Emission Factor Database


One of the main problems facing those who wish to complete local air quality studies for
airports is that there is no harmonised emission factor database for all airport pollution
sources. Each practitioner seems to use his own sources. An objective of this study is to
collect as much as possible of these data and harmonise them in one database. This will
permit users of the database to complete their studies more quickly and have more
confidence in the results. It will also permit comparisons between airports.
During the execution of the ALAQS project, emission factors and other data were collected
from several sources therefore the content and the format of the data are not the same.
These were harmonised in order to be used in the toolset database. Besides emission
factors for each source, the resulting database tables contain data on aircraft/engine fit,
GSE/APU combinations and settings, airports, road traffic, and stationary emission sources..
This approach of including data from many sources was chosen to create a test-bed for the
ALAQS-AV users, and to obtain feedback on the different methods and emissions factors.

Aircraft emission factors currently included in the ALAQS-AV database originate from EDMS
4.11 with PM emission approximations from UNIQUE (Zurich). LASPORT emission indices
for new, present and old technology aircraft have also been included

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ALAQS - Airport Local Air Quality Studies CONCEPT DOCUMENT

EDMS sources are : GE, Honeywell, Pratt & Whitney, Rolls Royce, ICAO etc

Figure 4 presents the composition of the ALAQS-AV database.

ALAQS DEFAULT DATABASE


MS Access Database Application

DATABANK
• Aircraft/Engine
• GSE/APU ALAQS GIS
• Road Traffic Application
• Stationary sources
• Airports
• Aircraft profiles

Import into
ALAQS-DB

EDMS BAA FOI COPERT

CITEPA MMU Airports ICAO, others

Figure 4: ALAQS-AV Database Schematic

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ALAQS - Airport Local Air Quality Studies CONCEPT DOCUMENT

Methodologies

Aircraft Emissions
Aircraft exhaust emissions are calculated for the operating modes below, which follow ICAO
engine thrust standards (7%, 30%, 85%, 100%):
Engine Start
Taxi in and taxi out (TX, 7% thrust )
Queuing (TX, 7% thrust)
Approach (AP, 30% thrust)
Landing roll (AP, 30% thrust)
Takeoff roll (TO, 100% thrust)
Climb-out (CL, 85% thrust)

Except for Engine Start emissions, aircraft engine emissions are calculated for each
movement (departure/ arrival) as the product of the time-in-mode, the fuel flow rate and the
emission factor for the appropriate engine thrust setting engaged. The resulting equation is
shown below:

ACe = FFmode * EFmode * T * N


ACe Aircraft total engine emissions, per landing-takeoff (LTO) cycle
FFmode Fuel flow rate (kg/s) per engine in mode
EFmode Emission factor (kg/kg) per engine in mode
T Time-in-mode (s)
N Number of engines
The above parameters are estimated based on realistic gate scenarios, taxiway and runway
operations. To estimate hourly emissions per LTO mode, the aircraft movement database is
linked to a specified aircraft profiles database. Hourly total emission rates are then stored in
the results database (See ALAQS-AV user manual for more information).
The aircraft movement data is an essential part of an ALAQS-AV study, allowing the
calculation of the spatial and temporal distribution of aircraft emissions. However, the current
version of ALAQS-AV only provides variation of LTO in the vertical plane above the runway
and time –in-mode. No allowance is made for horizontal deviation from runway centre-line.
Future versions may investigate the feasibility of using ground track and vertical profiles
derived from real or simulated data – in a similar way to the ENHANCE INM pre-processor.

Taxiway emissions

Taxiway emissions are released by aircraft engines while an aircraft travels from the gate to
the runway and vice versa.
The ALAQS-AV method calculates emissions per movement which are stored in the results
database as emissions per hour for each taxiway segment. However, emissions are

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ALAQS - Airport Local Air Quality Studies CONCEPT DOCUMENT

calculated on the assumption that all engines are idling at 7% power thrust setting (mode
TX), even if the actual taxi speed varies! This, arguably minor, limitation is due to the ICAO
engine emissions database which only provides emissions indices for 4 discrete thrust
settings (7%, 30%, 85%, 100%).
In ALAQS-AV it is assumed that aircraft will take the first available taxiway after the landing
roll is completed. Since separate taxi routes should be defined for each of the exit taxiways
normally used by arriving aircraft, more than one taxi route can be defined for a gate-runway
combination. Taxi routes have an arrival and departure section each made up of one or more
taxiway segments.
In ALAQS-AV taxi routes between gates and runways are selected automatically from the
user-defined taxi routes based on the end roll position (for arrivals). The end roll position is
the sum of the arrival profile’s landing roll and the touchdown offset specified for the runway.
The selection of a taxi route is thus done on four criteria: Gate, Runway, Arrival/Departure
flag (A or D) and End Roll Position. For a gate-runway combination the end roll position is
compared to the routes’ exit positions. The route corresponding to the exit position situated
immediately ahead of the end roll position is selected.
If the on-block/off-block time is specified (i.e. the total taxi time is known) the time for each
taxi section is adjusted so that the total of the taxi times and queue time corresponds to the
total taxi time.

Vertical profiles.

The ALAQS-AV default vertical profiles used in take-off, approach and landing are derived
from EDMS and then linearly extrapolated from 1000ft to 3000ft (and vice versa for the
arrival profile). During recent ALAQS case studies the default profiles were replaced by the
INM (Integrated Noise Model) profiles, which give a more realistic estimate of the vertical
profiles. In the April2005 version of ALAQS-AV the default profiles were replaced by the INM
profiles. Nevertheless, once more complete profile, thrust and fuel flow data are available for
LTO phases for the majority of aircraft types these should be introduced into ALAQS-AV and
noise modelling. Figure 5 shows an example comparison of two such profiles for B772.

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ALAQS - Airport Local Air Quality Studies CONCEPT DOCUMENT

1000 1.05

900

800 1

Thrust (% of max thrust)


700

600 0.95
Altitude (m)

500

400 0.9

300

200 0.85

100

0 0.8
0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000
Distance (m)

1000 ft limit INM vertical profile EDMS vertical profile INM thrust EDMS thrust

note: ALAQS-AV v1 default was derived from EDMS extrapolated to 900m

Figure 5: Climb-out profiles - ALAQS default and INM for a Large Jet (B772)

It is possible to integrate other vertical profiles for the LTO emissions. An example was the
Zurich case study where the profiles were derived from LASPORT4 version 1.5, which are
based on the German AzB classes. The aircraft group profiles together with the AzB classes
are:
Propeller (P1.4)
Turboprop (P2.1)
Business (S1.0)
Regional (S5.1)
Small (S5.2)
Medium (S6.1)
Large (S7)

Aircraft Grouping.

ALAQS-AV has its own aircraft grouping based on various sources, including the
manufacturers. The ALAQS aircraft categories are similar to those used for LASPORT.
Aircraft grouping is used for:
Gate emissions (APU/GPU and engine starts)
Aircraft emission results - repartition by group
Time in each mode (LTO cycle: Approach, Taxi, Take-off, climb)

4 http://www.janicke.de/htm/e_home.htm

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ALAQS - Airport Local Air Quality Studies CONCEPT DOCUMENT

The ALAQS-AV default emission indices for APU, GPU, Engine Start and GSE are defined
on an aircraft group basis when the gate scenarios method is used to calculate gate
emissions.
The aircraft grouping method is used in other models, but the there are some differences
which can lead to differences in emissions per group. As an example, Figure 6 below
indicates the differences in aircraft population between ALAQS-AV, EDMS and LASPORT
due to variations in grouping for a specific traffic sample (Zurich airport case study – 2003,
[Ref 7.]). The main difference of almost 30 000 movements (out of around 250 000) is
between small jets and business jets, with the ALAQS data including more in the business jet
group.

140000

120000

100000
Number of aircraft

80000 ALAQS
LASPORT
60000 EDMS

40000

20000

0
r
t

r
t

l le
et

t
je

je
je

le
je
lj

pe

el
al
e

s
al
rg

op
es
on

ro
iu

Sm
La

ed

pr
op
sin
gi
Re
M

rb

on
Bu

Tu

st
Pi

Figure 6: Aircraft grouping example - one year of traffic movements (2003)

Engine type.

By default there is one engine type allocated per aircraft type (ICAO code) in the ALAQS
aircraft table (tbl_aircraft). This is the engine that is most commonly fitted on that type of
aircraft (year 2003) based on JP fleet database (Back Aviation). This can lead to large errors
in emissions because emissions factors vary widely from one engine type to another and two
aircraft of the same type can have different engine combinations. However, one of the
ALAQS project objectives is dedicated to improving the databases used for aircraft engine
type so that the maximum number of aircraft-type / engine type combinations is included. As
a consequence, in the latest version of ALAQS the engine type can be derived from the
aircraft registration number, if the latter is known.

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ALAQS - Airport Local Air Quality Studies CONCEPT DOCUMENT

Selection of a methodology for gate and road vehicle emissions


In ALAQS-AV there are a number of methods available for calculating emissions from stand
equipment and road vehicles. As a consequence the user must select one method from each
of the following lists:
• Vehicle Sources (Roadways and Parking) methods:
- ALAQS (based on COPERT-III)
- LASPORT
- CITEPA
• GSE sources (Ground Support Equipment) methods:
- top down approach (i.e. gate scenarios, no need for a detailed list of the
equipments operated at the airport)
- bottom up approach (i.e. based on a detailed inventory of the equipment used for
handling and gates operations).
For the aircraft and stationary source categories, there is only one methodology, but default
emission factors can be changed. Default emission factors for each group of sources are
stored in an ALAQS database in order to be used during the simulation. The ALAQS-AV tool
gives the possibility to change any of the system data with more realistic airport data
whenever available.
The following sections present the emission estimation methodologies for each source
category.

Gate emissions (GSE, APU, GPU and Engine Start)


During the development of the project some research was done with the collaboration of
UNIQUE to develop a standalone methodology to calculate GSE emissions. The research
led to the adoption of some concepts from LASPORT in the current ALAQS-AV version. As
in LASPORT, APU and GPU emissions are estimated based on average emission values by
aircraft group.
However in practice, specific APU models are installed on different aircraft, and the available
APU fuel flow and emission data is APU model specific. In the EDMS model, APU emission
calculations are based on the specific APU model being used on an aircraft.
The current ALAQS GSE/APU/GPU methodology is described below.
ALAQS GSE emission methodology is a very detailed bottom-up approach in a sense that it
develops a case-inventory that gives the amount of emissions per aircraft type (group) for
each stand type. The GSE Emissions factors per stand are calculated in a stand-alone
database and used by ALAQS-AV to calculate the ‘merged emissions’
Aircraft are grouped in nine categories described in Table 1. It is assumed that all aircraft in
the same group use the same GSE equipment and operation times. Even though some GSE
emissions related to an aircraft are generated elsewhere on the apron, most of GSE
emissions occur at, or in the vicinity of, the stand where the aircraft is parked.
Table 1: Aircraft groups
Jet Large Jet Medium Jet Small

Jet Business Turboprop Propeller


Supersonic Helicopter Light Helicopter Heavy

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ALAQS - Airport Local Air Quality Studies CONCEPT DOCUMENT

The ALAQS GSE methodology requires that aircraft type, Stand and arrival/departure times
are provided by the aircraft movement journal. An overview of the methodology is given in
Figure 7.

Movement journal including


Aircraft type Group and Stand

Aircraft Stand Properties


Terminal
Open
Airport GSE Type of GSE APU, Freight
Inventory GPU operating Helipad
GPU

Stand movements Technical Operational info per


Statistics information AC Group

Compute total Stand


GSE Emissions

Figure 7: GSE Emission Methodology Overview


An inventory of all the equipments available at the airport is carried out. For each piece of
GSE the following input data is specified

Table 2: GSE Technical and Operational Parameters


Parameter Description
Emission Class Emission Class : GSE, APU or GPU
GSE Type GSE type refers to the equipment (e.g., cargo loader)
Power (kW or BHP) GSE engine power in kW or BHP. Brake horsepower refers to the
average rated brake horsepower of an equipment type’s engine
Load Factor The load factor is the average operational horsepower output of the
engine divided by its rated BHP.
Engine Fuel Type Gasoline, Diesel, LPG, Electric, Jet Fuel (for APU only)
GSE Engine Coolant – Water or Air
Emission Standard EEC EUNRMM or EDMS emission factors
Operation time The specific hours of operations per aircraft group type (Jet Large,
Jet Medium, Jet Business, Jet Small, Turboprop, Propeller, Super-
Sonic, Helicopter light, Helicopter Heavy)
Population Units The number of units of the equipment requires per aircraft group type.

In ALAQS systems defaults values are available for the above technical and operational
parameters per aircraft type. Further details are given in the APAQS-AV GSE Methodology
handbook.

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ALAQS - Airport Local Air Quality Studies CONCEPT DOCUMENT

Engine starts
Engine start emissions are calculated as mass of pollutant per movement (departure) as a
function of aircraft group.
The current version of ALAQS-AV has values for HC derived from LASPORT. Other
pollutants are assumed to be negligible at engine start-up as the emissions indices are all
zero. ALAQS-AV has extended aircraft grouping as shown in Table 3 below.

Table 3: Engine start aircraft groups and emission indices


ALAQS Aircraft GROUP CODE LASPORT GROUP EMIS_UNIT HC
HELICOPTER HEAVY H2 - gram/aircraft 100
HELICOPTER LIGHT H1 - gram/aircraft 50
JET BUSINESS JB BUSINESS gram/aircraft 200
JET LARGE JL LARGE gram/aircraft 1000
JET MEDIUM JM MEDIUM gram/aircraft 800
JET REGIONAL JR REGIONAL gram/aircraft 300
JET SMALL JS SMALL gram/aircraft 500
PROPELLER PP PROPELLER gram/aircraft 50
SUPERSONIC SS - gram/aircraft 500
TURBOPROP TP TURBOPROP gram/aircraft 100

Engine start emissions can have a significant impact on the total HC emissions (unburnt fuel)
at an airport.

Vehicle Emissions
The ALAQS project is focused on European airports, thus the ALAQS-AV vehicle emissions
method is closely tied to the COPERT-III method, which is the EU recommended model for
calculating emissions from road transport for use in CORINAIR (COoRdination d’INformation
Environmentale) emissions inventories. COPERT-III is based on vehicle populations in EU
member states and is aimed at providing a transparent and standardised methodology and
data. COPERT-III is also conforming to international reporting protocols, conventions and EU
legislation.
Emission factors from COPERT III cover the pollutants CO, NOx, VOC and PM10, and the
vehicle categories PC (cars, motorbikes, scooters), LDV (light trucks) and HDV (heavy
trucks, buses and coaches). These are implemented in a database that contains national
fleet statistics and distributions for European countries.
COPERT–III was designed for all road transport; for use in an airport context we consider
that COPERT-III could be adapted by modifying the proportions of PC/LDV/HDV to better
reflect traffic serving an airport.
The ALAQS methodology for estimating vehicle emissions is summarised in Figure 8 and
described further below.

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ALAQS - Airport Local Air Quality Studies CONCEPT DOCUMENT

Set up Study Country, Year

Cost 319 Vehicle Fleet Table


Method, Country,
Year, Avg Temp

Country Fleet composition, annual


mileage,
mileage distribution, Representative
speeds
Create a Roadway and set parameters

Set up Road Parameters Average


Temperature

RVP,
V, Tmax, Tmin,
Calculate Aggregated Emission Factors for
PC, LDV, HDV

Calculate Hourly Emissions


Aggregated Emission
Factors (g/km)
Per vehicle cat’.
PC, LDV, HDV
Road Segment Length - L

Calculate Total Emission for


PC, LDV, HDV
Number of vehicles (N) for
vehicle category (PC, LDV,
Total Emissions
per road segment

Figure 8: Vehicle emissions - ALAQS method schematic

After a review, it was decided to base the ALAQS method on a localised (airport scale and
vehicle fleet) version of the COPERT III methodology. The ALAQS method simplifies the
calculation by grouping vehicles into 3 classes (PC, LDV and HDV). Similar classes are used
in the CITEPA method (September 2002) and are intended to simplify the task of counting
vehicles circulating in the study area.
Airport land-side operations (activity outside the airport) are generally country/region specific.
For example vehicle type distribution in one country is different from one country to another.
The choice of a country to set up airport specific characteristics for road vehicles should rely
on the choice of an EU15 country whose vehicle fleet is similar to the one of the country of
the airport under assessment. This is necessary in order to provide a realistic emissions
inventory for local conditions.

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ALAQS - Airport Local Air Quality Studies CONCEPT DOCUMENT

Although the ALAQS methodology above is recommended according to the results obtained
from previous ALAQS case studies, the ALAQS-AV toolset also allows the user to choose
alternative vehicle emissions methods; these are EDMS (EPA MOBILE5a), CITEPA or the
LASPORT (German/Swiss Scenario) method. Additional methods may be added if required
by trials.

Stationary Source Emissions


Stationary sources are site specific. Typically stationary sources at airports consist of
combustion and non-combustion sources such as boilers, space heaters, emergency
generators, incinerators, fuel storage tanks, painting operations, de-icing operations, etc.
Generally boilers and space heaters are used for heating and power generation
requirements and they burn several different fuel types: fuel oil, diesel, natural gas or jet fuel.
Combustion Sources: In ALAQS methodology, the EDMS approach is adopted. EDMS has a
database containing emission factors for several categories of stationary sources. The basic
methodology for calculating emissions from each of these sources is fairly simple; the
quantity of fuel burned is multiplied by an emission factor to determine the emission of each
pollutant. The treatment of stationary sources in EDMS has been simplified to use default
data for parameters such as percent controls, percent ash, and percent sulphur for
combustion sources.
Stationary source emission factors currently included in the ALAQS default database were
extracted from EDMS 4.11. However, the EDMS emission factors should only be used when
no other data is available. Wherever possible, stationary emission factors should be obtained
from airport sources (preferably based on actual measurements). The default stationary
emission factors can be replaced by more appropriate (European) factors if these become
available. In the case studies for Lyon Airport and Zurich Airport, airport specific emission
factors were used.
Area sources (e.g. de-icing, groups of fuel tanks, etc…) do not have default emission factors
in the ALAQS-AV database.

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ALAQS - Airport Local Air Quality Studies CONCEPT DOCUMENT

Dispersion Modelling and Chemistry


Emissions can be calculated for individual sources such as operational data and specific
emission factors, as described in the previous sections. It is also necessary to know the
impact of these sources on local air quality, but unfortunately the ambient air quality at
airports can only be measured in total, including dispersed pollutants from many surrounding
sources.
There is a clear need for a tool that can model the atmospheric dispersion of emissions
generated by the operation of an airport. Fortunately, existing dispersion models can be
used or adapted to meet this requirement. Models can be used to analyse the direct effect of
each source type (i.e. aircraft operations, roadway or GSE contribution), and can also be
used to show the concentration plume around the airport.
The current state of dispersion modelling is adequately described in the UBA report by
Yamartino et al [Ref 6.].
The ALAQS project objective is to evaluate and recommend dispersion modelling methods
suitable for use at airports. The following were the principal criteria and constraints
considered in this evaluation. The model must:
be suitable for airport scale (5 x 5km2 with a adaptable resolution down to 10m)
provide results that are consistent with the regional (25 x 25km2) and national (2000 x
2000km2) scale models and the EU requirements
cater for non-reactive and reactive chemical species.
capture and model the effects of point sources with high levels of reacting species
(mainly aircraft engines).
accept vertical boundaries extending from ground level to mixing height (default is
3000ft or 900m). The mixing height is a parameter.
And last but not least, the model must provide realistic results for a variety of airports.
The dispersion models evaluated by ALAQS are based on several well-established
mathematical models (Gaussian, Lagrangian, or Eulerian), and may or may not take into
account the chemical reactivity of the pollutants in the atmosphere. Most of the models are
either too simple (using Gaussian profiles and treating NOx as a passive scalar ...) or too
complex (Eulerian in CFD frame). The generally accepted view on dispersion models is that
Lagrangian or Eulerian models better suit air quality studies. A number of other
implementation details can impact the choice and the accuracy of results, for example, it is
important to distinguish reactive and non-reactive species, and whether the supporting data
(meteorology, etc) allows modelling of non-linear AND linear chemistry over the airport and
regional scales. Another factor to consider is that Eulerian models require high levels of data
preparation and technical expertise.
For ALAQS dispersion modelling studies it was decided to initially focus on using the
Lagrangian dispersion model that already exists in LASPORT (LASAT). That is because this
model is fully validated and widely used by both airports and authorities in Germany. CFD
modelling integration with ALAQS will also occur later. In parallel to this activity, the
atmospheric chemistry process is also important to consider in ALAQS for better

20 2.1
ALAQS - Airport Local Air Quality Studies CONCEPT DOCUMENT

representation of pollutants, and collaboration will be made via AERONET using the Richard
Ramaroson Chemistry model5.
Figure 9 shows the dispersion models and process as integrated in the ALAQS project for
2005 and later years.

Figure 9: ALAQS Dispersion model interface overview

The data necessary for more realistic dispersion modeling are thorough meteorological data for the
airport concerned. Airports are more fortunate than urban and rural areas as they can use meteo
observations from the airport’s own meteo station, augmented as necessary by national data, either
historical or predicted. ALAQS-AV requires meteo data in sufficient detail and format that can be used
for all the dispersion models under test. This may vary from standard weather observations at ground
level to complete description of the atmosphere up to the boundary layer within 10km of the airport on
an hourly basis for a complete year.
It is expected that the availability and resolution of meteo data will vary from one airport to another. At
the same time it recognized that great progress has been made in the accuracy of local meteorological
models as opposed to meso scale models which extend down to the order of 12km resolution. Local
models can given precision of 2 to 3 meters and 50 or so vertaicl aincrements from ground level to
50000ft [Ref 9.].

5R.Ramaroson. Modélisation locale, a une et trois dimensions des processus


photochimiques de l’atmosphère moyenne. Thèse de doctorat. Université Paris VI

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ALAQS - Airport Local Air Quality Studies CONCEPT DOCUMENT

Future Work
The aviation industry is making considerable efforts to reduce environmental impacts, using
both direct and indirect means. Direct efforts are focused on the implementation of different
operating procedures to reduce emissions, for example the avoidance of starting aircraft
engines at gates. Indirect efforts result in a net improvement in environmental impact through
the implementation of new equipment or procedures that arise from some other requirement,
perhaps due to safety or economic reasons (for example fuel or maintenance reductions).
Future activities in the ALAQS project are focused on three threads
Support to ICAO CAEP Working Group 2 – air quality
Support to AERONET thematic research network
Trade-off analyses for future scenarios

The ALAQS project aims to serve the European airport community by contributing to the
ICAO CAEP Working Group 2 and the AERONET thematic research network. The future
activities in ALAQS are closely tied to providing support to these bodies by conducting
studies and trials of different methods, including the evaluation of new procedures and data –
e.g. emissions factors
In the area of trade-off analyses, EUROCONTROL are particularly interested in evaluating
the trade-off issues between environmental constraints (noise and emissions) and airport
capacity, whilst maintaining a safe air transport system. Trade-off analysis is particularly
relevant to future scenarios relying on simulated and predicted traffic. Future work will be
directed at improving the knowledge and procedures for such analysis, together with the
integration of modelling tools used for Noise, ATM and airport capacity (such as PACS,
RAMS, SIMMOD, TAAM).
Yamartino et al [Ref 6.] propose several areas of work which could be included in the scope
of ALAQS, including:
Investigate methods and guidelines for hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) generated by
aircraft and GSE.
Review and evaluate methods for modelling particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5 and
smaller) and aerosols relevant to aircraft engines.
A comparison between Gaussian and Lagrangian dispersion models – EDMS and
LASAT – in the context of airport air quality studies.

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ALAQS - Airport Local Air Quality Studies CONCEPT DOCUMENT

References
[Ref 1.] IATA Fuel Action Plan – guidance material for best practices for fuel and environmental
management. Version 26 November 2004.
[Ref 2.] ALAQS-AV v2 Application Reference Manual. June 2005. EEC Document (available on request)
[Ref 3.] EU 15.10.20.30 - Monitoring of atmospheric pollution http://europa.eu.int/eur-
lex/en/lif/reg/en_register_15102030.html
[Ref 4.] Tunstall-Pedoe, N., Raper, D. W. and Holden, J. (Eds) (1996) Airports and the Environment -
liabilities and social responsibilities. Proceedings of International Conference, Manchester Airport
July 1995. Thomas Telford, London. ISBN 0 7277 2520 3
[Ref 5.] Rogers H. L., Lee D. S., Raper D. W., Forster P. M. de F., Wilson C. W. and Newton P. The impacts
of aviation on the atmosphere. QINETIC/FST/CAT/TR021654
[Ref 6.] Yamartino R.J., Builtjes P.J.H., Stern R.M., Status of current Level of development and
understanding in the field of modelling pollutant dispersion at airports, July 2004, Free university of
Berlin – Institute of Meteorlogy, UBA-FB.
[Ref 7.] Celikel A, Duchene N, Fleuti E. Fuller I.C, Hofmann P, Moore T, Silue M. Airport Local Air
Quality Studies Case Study: Emission Inventory for Zurich Airport with Different Methodologies.
EUROCONTROL SEE report, Report SEE/2004/010
[Ref 8.] BAA website. Sustainable development - Air quality :
http://www.baa.co.uk/main/corporate/sustainable_development_frame.htmll
[Ref 9.] N Nelson, A K Mirza, K N Weaver. An Assessment of Alternative Sources of Met Data for Use in
Dispersion Modelling. UK Meteorological office. ADMLC/2002/1.
http://www.admlc.org.uk/documents/ADMLC20021.pdf

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