Software per l'ambiente. A cura di G. Guarisio, A. Rizzoli. Patron Editore, Bologna, APEX - Air pollutants emissions inventory computer system

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1 Software per l'ambiente. A cura di G. Guarisio, A. Rizzoli. Patron Editore, Bologna, 1995 APEX - Air pollutants emissions inventory computer system C. Trozzi, R.Vaccaro, L. Nicolò, R. Trobbiani, L. Valentini, P.Digiovandomenico Techne s.r.l Via N. Zabaglia, Rome Italy PROGRAM ABSTRACT Name: APEX - Air Pollutants Emissions inventory Computer System. Date of release : 10/94. Developer: TECHNE s.r.l., Via Nicola Zabaglia, Rome Italy, Tel. 39 (6) , Fax 39 (6) Contact for information: Mrs. Rita Vaccaro Case studies : Florence province, Venice province SW requirements: Windows 3.1, Oracle RDBMS 6.0, Oracle Card Runtime , Oracle Data Browser 1.1. Computer type: PC-IBM compatible x86. RAM used: 10 Mb. Mass storage requirements: 75 Mb. Estimated CPU time for standard applications: 6 seconds. Availability : Contact TECHNE. The retail price depends on specific application. 1. General description of the program APEX is one of a series of programs produced by our company about air pollutants emissions estimate (TECHNE, 1994 a ; TECHNE, 1994 b). APEX allows the preparation of air pollutants emissions inventories at local level. The inventories are a basic tool to characterize the different roles played by the various emissions sources and consequently to define criteria for air quality management planning. APEX allows the preparation of an emissions inventory (EPA, 1981, EPA, 1985), a consistent collection of data regarding emissions, grouped according to economical activity, time interval, territory unit, fuel. APEX takes into consideration the emissions for the most important activities, relatively to the main pollutants (sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides, non methane volatile organic compounds, carbon monoxide, total suspended particles) and can be implemented for other important pollutants (heavy metals, specific organic compounds as benzene, toluene, dioxine, greenhouses gases, ecc.). APEX takes into consideration over 200 activities grouped into 11 groups: - public power, cogeneration and district heating plants, - commercial, institutional and residential combustion plants, - industrial combustion, - production processes, - extraction and distribution of fossil fuels, - solvent use, - road transport, - other mobile sources and machinery,

2 - waste treatment and disposal, - agriculture, - nature. The nomenclature of the activities is based on Corinair methodology (Corinair, 1992); new activities can be added to the original ones in APEX to take into account other pollutants. APEX splits the emission sources into four different kinds of sources, namely point, localized, area and linear sources. All emissions sources for which it is useful to define the respective localization on the geographical grid meshes are called localized sources. Particularly interesting for the study of the dispersion of the pollutants are the point activities for which, in addition to localizing the plant, it is useful to determine the dynamic characteristics of emissions. These sources are defined in APEX as point sources. In the case of areas with high population density and continuous sources the thresholds of 5 tons/year and 25 ton/year are introduced to define respectively localized sources and point sources. Regarding mobile sources, APEX introduces the concept of linear source. This term indicates the main communication ways for which the emissions are estimated by single line. APEX treats as area sources the traffic outside of the main roads. The emissions are estimated over the entire area by means of statistical variables (number of vehicles, fuel consumption) by using the SETS program (Techne, 1994 b) and the results can be included in APEX. APEX defines as area sources all the sources that require a statistical approach for estimating emissions. APEX characterizes these sources collecting data on suitable indicators or surrogates variables and using suitable emissions factors. Once point and area sources emissions are determined, the problem of their spatial and temporal representation at local level arises. From the point of view of the spatial representation, the emissions from point and localized sources are determined in APEX plant by plant and allocated on the grid simply by means of the coordinate of the emission site. Regarding area sources, a square grid mesh of appropriate dimensions (usually a grid of one or two km 2 is considered) is builtup inside the territory to represent pollutants emissions. To disaggregate emissions from the municipal level to the mesh level, APEX uses appropriate coefficients. As regards the temporal disaggregation of emissions APEX introduces coefficients for hourly, monthly and daily disaggregation. 2. Data base planning APEX is constituted by three main components: - the relational data base developed in ORACLE (Oracle, 1992), - the user interface, developed with an object-oriented language in Oracle Card and Oracle Data Browser environment (Oracle, 1991), - mapping interface, developed in MapInfo environment (MapInfo, 1992). The data bases are designed according to the relational data model and particular attention is devoted to the organization of metadata, namely the data on data which allow to select and aggregate emissions according to hierarchical classifications referring to activities, fuels, territory units.

3 3. Object oriented interface The APEX user interface is realized with an object-oriented language (Oracle Card) in a client/server environment. In such an environment, the relational data base is located within a server which is constituted by a workstation, or a personal computer, and it is run by Oracle Server. The data base talks to the personal computers by means of the SQL*NET communication module while the product Oracle Data Browser is used for the realization of outputs. The APEX user interface is consulted on Personal Computers, called clients, in windows environment and allows the complete management of the data related to the emissions inventory at local level.. APEX is composed by a set of cards containing buttons, windows and numeric fields or data. The consultation is done working with the buttons and the windows by the mouse. The main card is called home and is possible to come back in any moment of the work through this button (Fig.1). Fig. 1 - APEX introduction window The other card are: - nomenclature, for managing the nomenclature of the activities utilized in the several years

4 - area emissions, for managing emissions data from distributed sources - linear emissions, for managing emissions data from linear sources - point sources emissions, for managing emissions data from point sources - metadata, for managing recurrent data in different files of APEX; - output, for data printing. Pressing the button metadata in the card house, the system shows from the bottom to the top the card of the metadata (Fig.2). On the top the names of the tables with their buttons for the selection are reported. On the right of the card three buttons allow the insertion, the selection and the print of the tables. At the bottom the picture shows the data base of the emissions inventory with the tables of the metadata which complete the final information. Fig. 2 - APEX metadata window Pressing the button area emissions from the card house the card area emissions is presented. This card includes the option for activities (or consumption), emission factors, time and spatial disaggregation. In fig 3 the insertion window for the hourly disaggregation is shown. Pressing the button output in the card house, the system shows the card with the indication of the output (plant card, distributed, linear, point sources). From the card output, pressing the button area the data related to consumption and emissions for area sources are shown. The user can select the spatial aggregation of the data (total, macrozone, zone) and the aggregation by activity (total, macrosector, sector, activity).

5 In the bottom of the card, the user can limit the queries selecting specific activities, sectors, macrosectores, zones and macrozones, years and pollutants. Fig. 3 - APEX area sources - Hourly disaggregation factor window

6 Fig. 4 - APEX report window 6. References Corinair (1992). Default emission factors handbook, Second edition, January 1992 EPA (1981). Procedures for emission inventory preparation. Volume IV: Mobile sources, Research Triangle Park NC 27711, EPA 450/ EPA (1985). Compilation of air pollutant emission factors, Forth Edition and Supplement, Research Triangle Park NC MapInfo (1992). MapInfo for Windows, Getting started,mapinfo Corporation ORACLE (1992). Oracle server for Netware, Getting started,oracle Corporation ORACLE (1991). Oracle Card, Getting started,oracle Corporation TECHNE (1994a). SETS - Estimate of air pollutants emissions from road traffic, release 1.0 TECHNE (1994b). AIR AIR - Estimate of air pollutants emissions from airport, release 1.0