Briggs Plume Rise Equation

The Gaussian air pollutant dispersion equation (discussed above) requires the input of H which is the pollutant plume\'s centerline height above ground leveland 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). Visualization of a buoyant Gaussian air pollutant dispersion plume

To determine ΔH, Briggs equations are used.

Briggs divided air pollution plumes into these four general categories:

• Cold jet plumes in calm ambient air conditions
• Cold jet plumes in windy ambient air conditions
• Hot, buoyant plumes in calm ambient air conditions
• Hot, buoyant plumes in windy ambient air conditions

Briggs considered the trajectory of cold jet plumes to be dominated by their initial velocity momentum, and the trajectory of hot, buoyant plumes to be dominated by their buoyant momentum to the extent that their initial velocity momentum was relatively unimportant. Although Briggs proposed plume rise equations for each of the above plume categories, it is important to emphasize that \"the Briggs equations\" which become widely used are those that he proposed for bent-over, hot buoyant plumes.