Webinar Validation odour dispersion models with the grid method

   In November last year, the German Association of Engineers (VDI) organised a conference on odour management in Austria. As in previous VDI events, there was a special session. This time focusing on how to validate model performance using grid measurements under EN 16841‑1. Unlike the approach commonly used in many other parts of the world, the German and Austrian practice evaluates odour frequencies rather than odour concentrations, which enables a verification of dispersion models against odour field observations.

   The ability to work with frequencies instead of concentrations means that dispersion model outputs can be directly checked against odour field inspections carried out with the grid method. This allows us to assess whether a model is performing well not only at a specific moment, but over an entire year, and gives practitioners a way to confirm that their odour dispersion modelling has been carried out correctly.

   While plume measurements can be useful, to validate specific moments of a dispersion model ouput (for example using the EN 16841‑2 (dynamic or static plume measurements) they typically capture model behaviour at specific times or over short periods (hours or days), and therefore are limited when you need to understand how a model performs over an entire year

   The goal of this webinar is to present, to an international audience, how Austria, Germany and Switzerland are applying these methods to verify odour dispersion models in regulatory and practical contexts. We will:

• Explain the EN 16841‑1 grid method and its use in odour impact assessment.
• Show how different model parameterisations affect predicted odour‑hour frequencies.
• Demonstrate annual validation of model performance using real case studies.

   A key part of the discussion will be the role of national regulation in Germany, where odour impact criteria are defined in terms of the 90th and, in some situations, 85th percentile odour concentrations at receptors. These criteria underpin the way odour frequencies are assessed and are key to the validation framework used in those countries.

   The webinar will feature four expert presentations, originally delivered at the recent VDI conference and now presented in English:

• Standardising dispersion models in Germany: The link to odour evaluation
  Speaker: Heike, Olfasense, Kiel
• A model for calculating odour hours in the context of approval procedures
  Speaker: Dietmar Ottl, Styrian Provincial Government, Department of Energy, Housing, and Technology, Air Pollution Control Unit, Graz, Austria
• Comparison of odour dispersion calculations using the AUSTAL2000, AUSTAL, and GRAL model systems with the results of ambient air odour measurements
  Speaker: Lara Krempl, Müller‑BBM Industry Solutions GmbH, Karlsruhe, Germany
• Odour emissions from food processing in expert practice, approval practice, and complaint management
  Speaker: Helga Lauerbach, Lohmeyer GmbH, Dresden/Karlsruhe
  
  

   Each presentation will include time for questions, allowing participants to discuss technical details and practical implications with the speakers.

   Who should attend?

   This free webinar is open to anyone with a professional interest in odour management, including:

• Environmental consultants and practitioners working with dispersion modelling.
• Regulators and public authorities involved in odour impact assessment.
• Researchers and students in air quality and environmental engineering.
• Operators of industrial installations, wastewater treatment plants, agricultural facilities and other odour‑relevant sites.

   Participation is free of charge, and everyone is welcome to register. The webinar will be held in English, and there will be time for questions and discussion after the presentations. Join this free webinar here!