SMEDIS - Scientific model evaluation of dense gas dispersion models The SMEDIS project, an ongoing project under the Community's specific RTD programme in the field of Environment and Climate, has launched a call for the submission of dense gas dispersion models to be included in its "Scientific Model Evaluation". The objective of SMEDIS is t... The SMEDIS project, an ongoing project under the Community's specific RTD programme in the field of Environment and Climate, has launched a call for the submission of dense gas dispersion models to be included in its "Scientific Model Evaluation". The objective of SMEDIS is to explore the problems associated with the evaluation of predictive dense gas dispersion models in the complex situations in which they will usually be employed. The intention is to develop and test a protocol for the evaluation of such models with particular emphasis on complex situations where two-phase source behaviour, terrain and obstacles are important in determining the dispersion. SMEDIS builds on work carried out previously under the "Model Evaluation Group" and the REDIPHEM project. The project is led by the UK Health & Safety Executive, with CERC Ltd. and Electricité de France as the main partners. There are ten other partners in the project representing consultancies, regulators, utilities and universities from across Europe. A total of 24 models are currently included in the study, ranging from simple screening tools through to fully three-dimensional CFD codes. Each model will be subject to an in-depth scientific assessment by CERC and will be run by one of the partners against a validation database currently being developed. As part of the SMEDIS Work Programme there is the opportunity for models additional to those originally included to be put forward by interested parties outside the group. Such models should be in current use in Europe, and should be able to simulate the complex effects of interest. Proponents of these models will be required to supply specified information about their models for the scientific assessment and to run them against an agreed set of experimental data sets. Model proponents will have the opportunity to comment on the results of the scientific assessment.
