Role of Inflow Turbulence and Surrounding Buildings on Large Eddy Simulations of Urban Wind Energy
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Methodology
2.1. Framework of the Research
2.2. Wind Tunnel Validation
2.3. Numerical Simulation
2.3.1. Computational Domains
2.3.2. Boundary Conditions
2.3.3. Computational Grid
2.3.4. WM-LES Setup
3. Results
3.1. Inlet Turbulence
3.2. Flow Pattern
3.3. Mean Wind Speed
3.4. Turbulence Intensity
3.5. Integral Length Scale of Turbulence
3.6. Energy Spectra
3.7. Gust Wind Speed
3.8. Probability Density Function
3.9. Quadrant Analysis
4. Discussion and Conclusions
- The randomness of the wind conditions implies a random angle of attack and asymmetry of the geometry of the high-rise building;
- The roughness distribution around the high-rise, which fluctuates significantly depending on the immediate surroundings of the building and the built environment around.
- Modelling inflow turbulence is essential to the accuracy of the simulation;
- Matching the real inflow turbulence characteristics is not of utmost importance to obtain an acceptable description of the local flow, especially close to the building surfaces;
- Close to the roof, the behavior is only affected by the leading edge generated coherent structures, and not by the inflow characteristics;
- The turbulence intensity is the most sensitive parameter to differences in the turbulent inflow;
- The integral length scale is also sensitive, but to a lesser extent;
- The mean wind speed is rather insensitive to variations in the turbulent inlet;
- Surrounding buildings also need to be modelled, but their role is limited in generating local turbulence. Hence, if a turbulent inlet is present, isolated buildings can also be modelled to obtain a reasonable estimate of the wind energy resource;
- Vice versa, if a turbulent inflow is absent, modelling surrounding buildings improves accuracy due to the generation of local turbulence. However, a larger area should to be modelled, as shown for the Muirhead Tower in the present study, placed downstream of the testing platform and showing in general a better match in absence of turbulence than found for the Biosciences Tower.
- The wake of modelled buildings is heavily affected by inflow turbulence, while it looks insensitive to the presence of surrounding buildings, suggesting wakes depend mostly on the inflow rather than the local geometric and flow features.
Author Contributions
Funding
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Case | Computational Domain | Uref m/s | Iref % | Lref cm | Cell smln. | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
#0 | | 5.11 (4.00) | 18.7 (29.8) | 21.5 (19.0) | 6.57 × 2 | 8.4 |
#1 | | 5.59 (4.95) | 2.15 (3.0) | 29.5 (30.5) | 3.90 × 2 | 6.9 |
#2 | | 5.61 (5.00) | 2.15 (3.0) | 31.0 (32.0) | 3.90 × 2 | 6.4 |
#3 | | 5.20 (4.50) | 17.00 (21.0) | 22.5 (23.5) | 6.57 × 2 | 7.9 |
#4 | | 5.32 (4.50) | 11.25 (16.5) | 13.5 (11.5) | 6.57 × 2 | 8.5 |
Grid | Cell Size Bioscience (mm) | Cell Size Freestream (mm) | Nr. Cells b.l. Pedestrian (m) | y+ Pedestrian (-) | Cell Size Pedestrian (mm) | Turbulence Model | SGS Model | Time Step Iterations | CFL Number (Mean; Max) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Coarse | 0.17 | 1.67 | 7 | ~5 | 0.07 | 6.69 | WM-LES | WALE | 0.0005 | 3; 16 |
Medium | 0.10 | 0.67 | 7 | ~2 | 0.03 | 16.9 | WM-LES | WALE | 0.0005 | ; 12 |
Fine | 0.07 | 0.33 | 15 | ~2 | 0.03 | 27.9 | WM-LES | WALE | 0.0005 | ; 6 |
Case | Mean Wind Speed U | Standard Deviation σu | Instantaneous Speed uinst |
---|---|---|---|
#0 base | | ||
#1 no turb. | | ||
#2 no turb.& no build. | | ||
#3 no build. | | ||
#4 roughness | | ||
|
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Vita, G.; Hashmi, S.A.; Salvadori, S.; Hemida, H.; Baniotopoulos, C. Role of Inflow Turbulence and Surrounding Buildings on Large Eddy Simulations of Urban Wind Energy. Energies 2020, 13, 5208. https://doi.org/10.3390/en13195208
Vita G, Hashmi SA, Salvadori S, Hemida H, Baniotopoulos C. Role of Inflow Turbulence and Surrounding Buildings on Large Eddy Simulations of Urban Wind Energy. Energies. 2020; 13(19):5208. https://doi.org/10.3390/en13195208
Chicago/Turabian StyleVita, Giulio, Syeda Anam Hashmi, Simone Salvadori, Hassan Hemida, and Charalampos Baniotopoulos. 2020. "Role of Inflow Turbulence and Surrounding Buildings on Large Eddy Simulations of Urban Wind Energy" Energies 13, no. 19: 5208. https://doi.org/10.3390/en13195208