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Published November 27, 1996 | public
Journal Article

Fate of Atmospheric Particles within the Buddhist Cave Temples at Yungang, China

Abstract

The Yungang Grottoes are a collection of man-made cave temples dating from the 5th century A.D. that now are situated in the middle of one of China's largest coal mining regions. Air pollutant particles enter these caves and deposit onto the more than 50 000 stone carvings contained within the caves, leading to rapid soiling of the sculptures. In order to study this problem, computer-based models have been combined that simulate the air flow into the caves and particle deposition within the caves. The evolution of the airborne particle concentration and size distribution is tracked as outdoor air is drawn into the caves by a natural convection flow that is driven by the temperature difference between the outdoor air and the interior walls of the caves. Particle deposition rates are computed from the boundary layer flows along the surfaces within the caves. Predicted coarse airborne particle (diameter > 2.3 μm) size distribution and coarse particle deposition fluxes to horizontal surfaces within caves 6 and 9 at Yungang compare closely to experimental observations made during the period April 15−16, 1991. It is found that horizontal surfaces within caves 6 and 9 at Yungang would become completely covered by a full monolayer of particles in only 0.3−0.5 yr under the April conditions studied here and will be soiled even more rapidly under annual average conditions. The model developed here can be used in the future to compute the effects of particle filtration systems and/or altered ventilation rates on soiling within the grottoes.

Additional Information

© 1996 American Chemical Society. Received for review November 21, 1995. Revised manuscript received July 11, 1996. Accepted July 22, 1996. This work was supported by a research agreement from the Getty Conservation Institute (GCI). The cooperation and assistance of the staff of the Yungang Grottoes and the State Bureau of Cultural Relics is gratefully acknowledged, including Huang Kezhong, Zhu Changling, Sheng Weiwei, Li Xiu Qing, Li Hua Yuan, Xie Ting Fan, Yuan Jin Hu, Huang Ji Zhong, Zhi Xia Bing, and Bo Guo Liang of the Shanxi Institute of Geological Sciences and Zhong Ying Ying from Taiyuan University. Assistance critical to this work was providedby the GCI and their consultants, and we especially thank Neville Agnew, Po-Ming Lin, Shin Maekawa, and Roland Tseng for their help.

Additional details

Created:
August 19, 2023
Modified:
October 20, 2023