MICROCOMPUTER MODEL FOR ASSESSMENT OF FUEL DUMPING IMPACTS

FUEL JETTISONED BY AIRCRAFT IN FLIGHT MAY POSE AN ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARD. RECENT DECISIONS TO CONVERT FROM JP-4 JET FUEL TO THE LESS VOLATILE JP-8 JET FUEL MEANS THAT THE LIKELIHOOD FOR GROUND ENCOUNTER BY THE JETTISONED FUEL IS SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASED. WHAT IS NEEDED, FOR NOT ONLY THE U.S. AIR FORCE BUT ALSO THE COMMERCIAL AIRLINE INDUSTRY, IS A FULLY OPERATIONAL AND USER-FRIENDLY PERSONAL COMPUTER MODEL THAT PREDICTS THE FATE OF THE RELEASED FUEL WITH CONFIDENCE AND RELIABILITY, INCLUDING ITS DOWNWIND BEHAVIOR AND EVENTUAL GROUND FOOTPRINT DETAIL. CONTINUUM DYNAMICS INC. HAS DEVELOPED SUCH A MODEL FOR THE USDA FOREST SERVICE AND THE U.S. ARMY, TO PREDICT THE DISPERSAL OF AERIALLY RELEASED MATERIAL. IT IS THE GAUSSIAN LINE-SOURCE MODEL CALLED FSCBG. THIS PROPOSAL WOULD MODIFY FSCBG TO THE SPECIFICS OF U.S. AIR FORCE NEEDS REGARDING FUEL JETTISONING. THE USER INTERFACE, EXTENSIVE GRAPHICS CAPABILITY, AND EFFICIENT OPERATION ON PERSONAL COMPUTERS HAVE ALREADY BEEN ACHIEVED IN THE ORIGINAL MODEL FOR ITS ORIGINAL SPONSORS. EXTENSION TO THE TOP OF THE TROPOSPHERE, AND TO MULTICOMPONENT MIXTURES, COMPRISE THE ONLY MODIFICATIONS ANTICIPATED IN PHASE I. RESULTS FROM THIS PHASE I EFFORT WILL GO A LONG WAY TOWARD ACCOMPLISHING THE GOALS ENVISIONED IN BOTH PHASE I AND II OF THE SOLICIATION OBJECTIVES.