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Computation
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Computational Fluid Dynamics in Civil Engineering
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Computational Fluid Dynamics in Civil Engineering

A special issue of Computation (ISSN 2079-3197). This special issue belongs to the section "Computational Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2015) | Viewed by 73294

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Manfred Krafczyk

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute for Computational Modelling in Civil Engineering, TU Braunschweig, Pockelsstr. 3, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
Interests: CFD; Lattice Boltzmann; distributed computing; GPGPU; HPC; BIM

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Recent decades have demonstrated the growing maturity of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) in a variety of fields, e.g. mechanical engineering, earth sciences, astrophysics and/or life sciences. However, it has only recently become apparent that sophisticated CFD techniques based on complex non-linear and coupled transport models can also substantially contribute to qualitative progress in understanding and predicting the dynamics of civil engineering systems. The reason for this may partially be attributed to a specific inertia of this discipline to adopt new approaches, but also due to the fact that fluid transport phenomena in civil engineering are so vastly different in their characteristics that practical applications have only recently become within reach of being feasible using the most sophisticated computational techniques available. Relevant spatial scales range from microns to kilometers and usually flow phenomena are coupled with other fields such as structures, radiation, chemical reactions or multiple components and phases. This Special Issue is dedicated to demonstrating the wide range of state-of-the-art computational techniques related to transport and flow phenomena in civil engineering and their intersection with more or less closely related disciplines, such as environmental or geo-sciences, ocean and coastal as well as mechanical engineering, to encourage scientists and engineers to continue their efforts as well as to inform application oriented engineers about what is possible today beyond the application of standardized codes.

Specific methods and fields of applications include, but are not limited to:

  • Advanced turbulence models applied to flow in and around buildings;
  • CFD applied to fire and combustion on larger scales;
  • RANS vs. LES vs. DES approaches;
  • Fluid-Structure-Interaction (FSI) for wind-induced loads on power cables or infrastructure;
  • High-Performance-Computing in Civil Engineering CFD also including GPGPUs;
  • Adaptive approaches based on model as well as numerical adaptivity for real life CFD problems;
  • Multiphase, multi-component as observed in hydraulic or waste water processing;
  • Interaction of waves, wind and structures including free surface flow in coastal engineering;
  • Modeling and simulation of contaminant dispersion in urban areas;
  • Adjoint methods for optimization of civil engineering systems;
  • Aero-acoustics to determine acoustic pollution in urban areas; or
  • Reduced models allowing an efficient, but robust and reliable, prediction of complex flow phenomena in civil engineering.

Prof. Manfred Krafczyk
Guest Editor

Keywords

  • computational fluid dynamics
  • fluid structure interaction
  • combustion
  • fire
  • waves
  • algorithms
  • distributed computing
  • adaptivity
  • adjoint methods
  • turbulence modeling
  • reduced models

Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

2784 KiB  
Article
CFD and Experimental Study on the Effect of Progressive Heating on Fluid Flow inside a Thermal Wind Tunnel
by Hassam Nasarullah Chaudhry, John Kaiser Calautit, Ben Richard Hughes and Lik Fang Sim
Computation 2015, 3(4), 509-527; https://doi.org/10.3390/computation3040509 - 21 Oct 2015
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 8426
Abstract
A detailed Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and experimental investigation into characterizing the fluid flow and thermal profiles in a wind tunnel was carried out, highlighting the effect of progressive heating on the non-uniformity flow profile of air. Using controllable electrical heating elements, the [...] Read more.
A detailed Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and experimental investigation into characterizing the fluid flow and thermal profiles in a wind tunnel was carried out, highlighting the effect of progressive heating on the non-uniformity flow profile of air. Using controllable electrical heating elements, the operating temperatures in the test-section were gradually increased in order to determine its influence on the subsequent velocity and thermal profiles found inside the test-section. The numerical study was carried out using CFD FLUENT code, alongside validating the experimental results. Good correlation was observed as the comparison yielded a mean error of 6.4% for the air velocity parameter and 2.3% for the air temperature parameter between the two techniques. The good correlation established between the numerically predicted and experimentally tested results identified broad scope for using the advanced computational capabilities of CFD applicable to the thermal modeling of wind tunnels. For a constant temperature process, the non-uniformity and turbulence intensity in the test section was 0.9% and 0.5%, which is under the recommended guidelines for wind tunnels. The findings revealed that the increase in temperature from 20 °C to 50 °C reduced the velocity by 15.2% inside the test section. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Computational Fluid Dynamics in Civil Engineering)
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10533 KiB  
Article
Applicability of URANS and DES Simulations of Flow Past Rectangular Cylinders and Bridge Sections
by Claudio Mannini
Computation 2015, 3(3), 479-508; https://doi.org/10.3390/computation3030479 - 18 Sep 2015
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 7692
Abstract
This paper discusses the results of computational fluid dynamics simulations carried out for rectangular cylinders with various side ratios of interest for many civil engineering structures. A bridge deck of common cross-section geometry was also considered. Unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (URANS) equations were solved [...] Read more.
This paper discusses the results of computational fluid dynamics simulations carried out for rectangular cylinders with various side ratios of interest for many civil engineering structures. A bridge deck of common cross-section geometry was also considered. Unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (URANS) equations were solved in conjunction with either an eddy viscosity or a linearized explicit algebraic Reynolds stress model. The analysis showed that for the case studies considered, the 2D URANS approach was able to give reasonable results if coupled with an advanced turbulence model and a suitable computational mesh. The simulations even reproduced, at least qualitatively, complex phenomena observed in the wind tunnel, such as Reynolds number effects for a sharp-edged geometry. The study focused both on stationary and harmonically oscillating bodies. For the latter, self-excited forces and flutter derivatives were calculated and compared to experimental data. In the particular case of a benchmark rectangular 5:1 cylinder, 3D detached eddy simulations were also carried out, highlighting the improvement in the accuracy of the results with respect to both 2D and 3D URANS calculations. All of the computations were performed with the Tau code, a non-commercial unstructured solver developed by the German Aerospace Center. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Computational Fluid Dynamics in Civil Engineering)
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4871 KiB  
Article
Numerical Simulations of Wave-Induced Flow Fields around Large-Diameter Surface-Piercing Vertical Circular Cylinder
by Giancarlo Alfonsi
Computation 2015, 3(3), 386-426; https://doi.org/10.3390/computation3030386 - 28 Aug 2015
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 7589
Abstract
A computational analysis is performed on the diffraction of water waves induced by large-diameter, surface-piercing, vertical circular cylinder. With reference to linear-wave cases, the phenomenon is preliminarly considered in terms of velocity potential, a simplified theoretical framework in which both hypotheses of inviscid [...] Read more.
A computational analysis is performed on the diffraction of water waves induced by large-diameter, surface-piercing, vertical circular cylinder. With reference to linear-wave cases, the phenomenon is preliminarly considered in terms of velocity potential, a simplified theoretical framework in which both hypotheses of inviscid fluid and irrotational flow are incorporated. Then, and as a first-approximation analysis, the Euler equations in primitive variables are considered (a framework in which the fluid is still handled as inviscid, but the field can be rotational). Finally, the real-fluid behavior is analyzed, by numerically integrating the full Navier-Stokes equations (viscous fluid and rotational field) in their velocity-pressure formulation, by following the approach of the Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS, no models are used for the fluctuating portion of the velocity field). For further investigation of the flow fields, the swirling-strength criterion for flow-structure extraction, and the Karhunen-Loève (KL) decomposition technique for the extraction of the most energetic flow modes respectively, are applied to the computed fields. It is found that remarkable differences exist between the wave-induced fields, as derived within the different computing frameworks tested. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Computational Fluid Dynamics in Civil Engineering)
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6787 KiB  
Article
Validation of the GPU-Accelerated CFD Solver ELBE for Free Surface Flow Problems in Civil and Environmental Engineering
by Christian F. Janßen, Dennis Mierke, Micha Überrück, Silke Gralher and Thomas Rung
Computation 2015, 3(3), 354-385; https://doi.org/10.3390/computation3030354 - 07 Jul 2015
Cited by 35 | Viewed by 8088
Abstract
This contribution is dedicated to demonstrating the high potential and manifold applications of state-of-the-art computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tools for free-surface flows in civil and environmental engineering. All simulations were performed with the academic research code ELBE (efficient lattice boltzmann environment, http://www.tuhh.de/elbe). The [...] Read more.
This contribution is dedicated to demonstrating the high potential and manifold applications of state-of-the-art computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tools for free-surface flows in civil and environmental engineering. All simulations were performed with the academic research code ELBE (efficient lattice boltzmann environment, http://www.tuhh.de/elbe). The ELBE code follows the supercomputing-on-the-desktop paradigm and is especially designed for local supercomputing, without tedious accesses to supercomputers. ELBE uses graphics processing units (GPU) to accelerate the computations and can be used in a single GPU-equipped workstation of, e.g., a design engineer. The code has been successfully validated in very different fields, mostly related to naval architecture and mechanical engineering. In this contribution, we give an overview of past and present applications with practical relevance for civil engineers. The presented applications are grouped into three major categories: (i) tsunami simulations, considering wave propagation, wave runup, inundation and debris flows; (ii) dam break simulations; and (iii) numerical wave tanks for the calculation of hydrodynamic loads on fixed and moving bodies. This broad range of applications in combination with accurate numerical results and very competitive times to solution demonstrates that modern CFD tools in general, and the ELBE code in particular, can be a helpful design tool for civil and environmental engineers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Computational Fluid Dynamics in Civil Engineering)
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5599 KiB  
Article
On Roof Geometry for Urban Wind Energy Exploitation in High-Rise Buildings
by Francisco Toja-Silva, Carlos Peralta, Oscar Lopez-Garcia, Jorge Navarro and Ignacio Cruz
Computation 2015, 3(2), 299-325; https://doi.org/10.3390/computation3020299 - 10 Jun 2015
Cited by 28 | Viewed by 8248
Abstract
The European program HORIZON2020 aims to have 20% of electricity produced by renewable sources. The building sector represents 40% of the European Union energy consumption. Reducing energy consumption in buildings is therefore a priority for energy efficiency. The present investigation explores the most [...] Read more.
The European program HORIZON2020 aims to have 20% of electricity produced by renewable sources. The building sector represents 40% of the European Union energy consumption. Reducing energy consumption in buildings is therefore a priority for energy efficiency. The present investigation explores the most adequate roof shapes compatible with the placement of different types of small wind energy generators on high-rise buildings for urban wind energy exploitation. The wind flow around traditional state-of-the-art roof shapes is considered. In addition, the influence of the roof edge on the wind flow on high-rise buildings is analyzed. These geometries are investigated, both qualitatively and quantitatively, and the turbulence intensity threshold for horizontal axis wind turbines is considered. The most adequate shapes for wind energy exploitation are identified, studying vertical profiles of velocity, turbulent kinetic energy and turbulence intensity. Curved shapes are the most interesting building roof shapes from the wind energy exploitation point of view, leading to the highest speed-up and the lowest turbulence intensity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Computational Fluid Dynamics in Civil Engineering)
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1276 KiB  
Article
Effects of a Sprinkler on Evacuation Dynamics in Fire
by Kazuhiro Yamamoto, Yuki Takeuchi and Shinnosuke Nishiki
Computation 2015, 3(2), 274-284; https://doi.org/10.3390/computation3020274 - 03 Jun 2015
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 6022
Abstract
A fire in an enclosed space, such as a room in a building, is generally called a compartment fire. To prevent the compartment fire, a sprinkler for first-aid fire-fighting is installed in rooms. However, it is difficult to determine the degree to which [...] Read more.
A fire in an enclosed space, such as a room in a building, is generally called a compartment fire. To prevent the compartment fire, a sprinkler for first-aid fire-fighting is installed in rooms. However, it is difficult to determine the degree to which smoke generation and the fire spreading will be inhibited when sprinklers are on. In particular, demonstrating evacuation behavior assuming an actual fire is impossible. In this study, we evaluated an effectiveness of the sprinkler by numerical simulations. To consider evacuation dynamics, a real-coded cellular automata (RCA) was used, where we can freely set the direction and velocity of an evacuee based on a floor field model. To consider the situation in the room fire, we used a simulator called Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS). Two cases with and without the sprinkler were compared to see the validity of the sprinkler on evacuation dynamics. The effect of smoke and the expansion of the fire-spreading region were discussed. Results show that, since the fire-spreading region disappears when the sprinkler is actuated, the evacuation time decreases. Even though the sprinkler is actuated, the smoke generated at the beginning of a fire diffuses inside the whole room. However, the duration of evacuees being overwhelmed by smoke is less, because the amount of smoke generated by the pyrolysis reaction is much decreased. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Computational Fluid Dynamics in Civil Engineering)
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2465 KiB  
Article
LES: Unsteady Atmospheric Turbulent Layer Inlet. A Precursor Method Application and Its Quality Check
by Julien Berthaut-Gerentes and Didier Delaunay
Computation 2015, 3(2), 262-273; https://doi.org/10.3390/computation3020262 - 26 May 2015
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 4572
Abstract
The motivation of this work is to bridge the gap between experimental approaches in wind tunnel testing and numerical computations, in the field of structural design against strong winds. This paper focuses on the generation of an unsteady flow field, representative of a [...] Read more.
The motivation of this work is to bridge the gap between experimental approaches in wind tunnel testing and numerical computations, in the field of structural design against strong winds. This paper focuses on the generation of an unsteady flow field, representative of a natural wind field, but still compatible with Computational Fluid Dynamics inlet requirements. A simple and “naive” procedure is explained, and the results are in good agreement with some international standards. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Computational Fluid Dynamics in Civil Engineering)
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6725 KiB  
Article
Engineering-Based Thermal CFD Simulations on Massive Parallel Systems
by Jérôme Frisch, Ralf-Peter Mundani, Ernst Rank and Christoph Van Treeck
Computation 2015, 3(2), 235-261; https://doi.org/10.3390/computation3020235 - 22 May 2015
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 6159
Abstract
The development of parallel Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) codes is a challenging task that entails efficient parallelization concepts and strategies in order to achieve good scalability values when running those codes on modern supercomputers with several thousands to millions of cores. In this [...] Read more.
The development of parallel Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) codes is a challenging task that entails efficient parallelization concepts and strategies in order to achieve good scalability values when running those codes on modern supercomputers with several thousands to millions of cores. In this paper, we present a hierarchical data structure for massive parallel computations that supports the coupling of a Navier–Stokes-based fluid flow code with the Boussinesq approximation in order to address complex thermal scenarios for energy-related assessments. The newly designed data structure is specifically designed with the idea of interactive data exploration and visualization during runtime of the simulation code; a major shortcoming of traditional high-performance computing (HPC) simulation codes. We further show and discuss speed-up values obtained on one of Germany’s top-ranked supercomputers with up to 140,000 processes and present simulation results for different engineering-based thermal problems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Computational Fluid Dynamics in Civil Engineering)
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4291 KiB  
Article
CFD Simulation and Optimisation of a Low Energy Ventilation and Cooling System
by John Kaiser Calautit, Dominic O'Connor, Polytimi Sofotasiou and Ben Richard Hughes
Computation 2015, 3(2), 128-149; https://doi.org/10.3390/computation3020128 - 02 Apr 2015
Cited by 30 | Viewed by 14700
Abstract
Mechanical Heating Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) systems account for 60% of the total energy consumption of buildings. As a sector, buildings contributes about 40% of the total global energy demand. By using passive technology coupled with natural ventilation from wind towers, significant amounts [...] Read more.
Mechanical Heating Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) systems account for 60% of the total energy consumption of buildings. As a sector, buildings contributes about 40% of the total global energy demand. By using passive technology coupled with natural ventilation from wind towers, significant amounts of energy can be saved, reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases. In this study, the development of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis in aiding the development of wind towers was explored. Initial concepts of simple wind tower mechanics to detailed design of wind towers which integrate modifications specifically to improve the efficiency of wind towers were detailed. From this, using CFD analysis, heat transfer devices were integrated into a wind tower to provide cooling for incoming air, thus negating the reliance on mechanical HVAC systems. A commercial CFD code Fluent was used in this study to simulate the airflow inside the wind tower model with the heat transfer devices. Scaled wind tunnel testing was used to validate the computational model. The airflow supply velocity was measured and compared with the numerical results and good correlation was observed. Additionally, the spacing between the heat transfer devices was varied to optimise the performance. The technology presented here is subject to a patent application (PCT/GB2014/052263). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Computational Fluid Dynamics in Civil Engineering)
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