Prediction Errors Associated with Sparse Grid Estimates of Flows over Hills

Numerical simulations of geophysical flows have to be done on very sparse grids. Nevertheless, flows over moderately sloped hills can be predicted quite accurately as long as the near ground vertical resolution is reasonably dense. Recirculation flows behind steeper hills are associated with slow convergence towards grid independent integrations, but even then moderately stratified flows of this type can be predicted usefully accurately. For better horizontal grids than about half the hill-height Δx ₁/H ≈ 0.5 or so, separation and recirculating domains are predicted with an error factor comparable to 0.3. The characteristic wavelength of lee waves is predicted more accurately while the lee wave amplitude and the maximum turbulence intensity in recirculating domains are underestimated by factors comparable to 0.3. Strongly stratified flows may be associated with hydraulic transitions and even this is predicted on quite coarse grids, up to say Δx ₁/H ≈ 0.5. However, the details of such flows turn out to be predicted with considerable errors also on high-resolution grids. Inaccurate modelling of stratified turbulence is a main contributor to this error.     

Wind Measurements in a Square Plot Enclosed by a Shelter Fence

Wind statistics were measured within a square plot (sidelengthD = 20 m) that was sheltered on all four sides by a porous plasticwindbreak fence (height h=1.25 m, resistance coefficient k_r0 = 2.4, porosity p = 0.45), standing on otherwise uniform land (sparse stubble, roughness length z₀ 0.015 m). At any given point within the plot, short term wind statistics were extremely sensitive to the mean wind direction relative to thefences. Whereas the entire plot was sheltered from a wind blowingnormal to any side of the plot, whenever the wind was oriented soas to blow over a corner, wind reduction was observed onlyover a small fraction of the plot, in the near lee of the upwindfences.     

Large-eddy Simulations of Flow Over Forested Ridges

Large-eddy simulations (LES) of flow over a series of small forested ridges are performed, and compared with numerical simulations using a one-and-a-half order mixing length closure scheme. The qualitative and quantitative similarity between these results provides some confidence in the results of recent analytical and numerical studies of flow over forested hills using first-order mixing length schemes. Time series of model velocities at various locations within the canopy allow the application of various experimental techniques to study the turbulence in the LES. The application of conditional analysis shows that the structure of the turbulence over a forested hill is broadly similar to that over flat ground, with sweeps and ejections dominating. Differences are seen across the hill, particularly associated with regions of mean flow separation and recirculation near the summit and in the lee of the hill. Detailed comparison of derived mixing lengths from the LES with the assumed values used in mixing-length closure schemes show that the mixing length varies with location across the hill and with height in the canopy. This is consistent with previous wind-tunnel measurements, and demonstrates that a constant mixing-length assumption is not strictly valid within the canopy. Despite this, the first-order mixing-length schemes do give similar results both for the mean flow and the turbulence in such situations.     

Windbreak Aerodynamics: Is Computational Fluid Dynamics Reliable?

To investigate the suitability of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) with regard to windbreak aerodynamics, simulations are performed with a state-of-the-art numerical scheme (Fluent) and compared against experimental data for two- and three-dimensional disturbances, namely the case of a long straight porous shelter fence and the case of a shelter fence erected in a square about an enclosed plot. A thorough sensitivity study quantifies the impact of numerical choices on the simulation (e.g. grid-point density, domain size, turbulence closure), and leads to guidelines that should ensure objective simulation of windbreak flows. On a fine grid Fluent’s “realizable k–ε closure” gives results that are in qualitative accord with the observed mean winds.     

Airflow patterns over and around a large three-dimensional hill

Summary Surface wind patterns and air flows within the planetary boundary layer over a large three-dimensional hill of moderate slope are grouped according to Froude number classes. An evolution of flow patterns is shown to occur as the Froude number increases.Separation of the surface flow begins at the base of the lee side of the mountain near the centerline, moving upward on the lee slope as the Froude number increases. Recirculating eddies follow the separation of the lee flow. Eventually the separation line moves forward to the windward side as the Froude number becomes very large. The recirculating eddy becomes unsteady, with indication of an intermittent counterrolating eddy near the lee surface in neutral flow. The lee-side turbulence is enhanced with respect to the windward side due to the large eddies in high Froude number regimes.The concept of a critical height for the approach flow is generally supported. The integral form of the Froude number does not appear to be superior to a bulk Froude calculation in representing a particular airflow pattern.With 6 FiguresDeceased.     

Shelter effects of vegetation belts — Results of field measurements

The results of full-scale measurements of the wind reduction behind four different types of shelterbelts are reported. Two of the shelterbelts in question were of the single-row type. The remaining two consisted of at least two rows of deciduous trees and in both cases some conifers.Wind measurements were made under various weather conditions, both in winter and in summer. The minimum relative wind speed on the lee side varied from ca 0.1 behind the most dense shelterbelt to 0.4 behind the most porous one when the wind was blowing at right angles in summer. In the winter, the shelter effect was much less than in the summer but the two most dense shelterbelts did reduce the wind speed considerably also then.When the wind was blowing at an angle to the shelterbelt, the lee maximum occurred closer to the belt and the wind speed recovered faster than when it blew at right angles. The wind reduction just behind a shelterbelt always tended to be greater in oblique than in perpendicular wind. The wind reduction behind a leafy vegetation belt decreased as the reference wind speed increased. The approach wind speed affected wind reduction much more at a porous shelterbelt than at a dense one.The difference between reference and local wind directions could be great just behind a shelterbelt but this difference disappeared within a few h downstream of the belt. With further increasing distance (up to 4–11h), the wind continued to veer so that the direction became more parallel with the shelterbelt than in the case of the undisturbed wind. Then the wind slowly veered back to the direction of the approaching wind again.The present data give a good idea of the amount of wind reduction which can be expected in the lee of some common types of shelterbelts.     

地形影响的飞机颠簸及其数值仿真实验

首先利用中尺度数值模式ARPS模拟气流过山生成飞行数值仿真所需要的风场，然后利用飞机载荷因数变量方程进行飞机飞行的数值仿真试验。研究结果表明，气流过山产生的山脉重力波由于风切变临界层破碎，一方面能在对流层产生较强的湍流引起晴空飞机颠簸，另一方面也能在山脉背风面产生强烈下坡风，背风转子环流及低空湍流，影响飞机的起飞和着陆。揭示了飞机在过山脉地形背风面所产生的大气湍流中飞行时引起飞机颠簸的物理机制，有助于增强飞机颠簸的预测能力和飞行气象保障能力。     

An Analytical Model for Mean Wind Profiles in Sparse Canopies

Existing analytical models for mean wind profiles within canopies are applicable only in dense canopy scenarios, where all momentum is absorbed by canopy elements and, hence, the effect of the ground on turbulent mixing is not important. Here, we propose a new analytical model that can simulate mean wind profiles within sparse canopies under neutral conditions. The model adopts a linearized canopy-drag parametrization and a first-order turbulence closure scheme taking into account the effects of both the ground and canopy elements on turbulent mixing. The resulting wind profile within a sparser canopy appears to be more like a logarithmic form, with the no-slip condition at the ground being satisfied. The analytical solution converges exactly to the standard surface-layer logarithmic wind profile in the case of zero canopy density (i.e., no-canopy scenario) and tends to be an exponential wind profile for a dense canopy; this feature is unique compared with existing analytical models for canopy wind profiles. Results from the new model are in good agreement with those from laboratory experiments and numerical simulations.     

Flow over the summit of an isolated hill

Observations of the mean flow and turbulence statistics over the summit of an isolated, roughly circular hill, Nyland hill, are presented, Nyland hill rises 70 m above the surrounding terrain and has a base diameter of about 500 m. The summit of the hill is very smooth and allows representative measurements to be made close to the surface. The flow speed 8 m above the summit is increased by a factor of 2 over the upstream speed 8 m above level terrain, and flow separation occurs in the lee of the hill. The mean velocity profile over the summit shows an increase in velocity with height up to about 2 m and then a near constant velocity between 2 and 16 m. The flow perturbation relative to the upstream profile is thus a maximum at about 2 m. The measurements of turbulence structure show how the influence of the hill depends on the length scale of the turbulent eddies involved. Scales greater than the scale of the hill are modified through the flow speed-up whilst scales shorter than the hill suffer complex changes. The short-scale turbulence over the summit is only in local equilibrium in the lowest fraction of a metre. Above this equilibrium region, there is a complex adjustment towards the rapid distortion dynamics which appear to dominate at heights above about 8 m. The detailed results are compared with previous studies and available theories.     

Spatio-Temporal Surface Shear-Stress Variability in Live Plant Canopies and Cube Arrays

This study presents spatiotemporally-resolved measurements of surface shear-stress τ _s in live plant canopies and rigid wooden cube arrays to identify the sheltering capability against sediment erosion of these different roughness elements. Live plants have highly irregular structures that can be extremely flexible and porous resulting in considerable changes to the drag and flow regimes relative to rigid imitations mainly used in other wind-tunnel studies. Mean velocity and kinematic Reynolds stress profiles show that well-developed natural boundary layers were generated above the 8 m long wind-tunnel test section covered with the roughness elements at four different roughness densities (λ = 0, 0.017, 0.08, 0.18). Speed-up around the cubes caused higher peak surface shear stress than in experiments with plants at all roughness densities, demonstrating the more effective sheltering ability of the plants. The sheltered areas in the lee of the plants are significantly narrower with higher surface shear stress than those found in the lee of the cubes, and are dependent on the wind speed due to the plants ability to streamline with the flow. This streamlining behaviour results in a decreasing sheltering effect at increasing wind speeds and in lower net turbulence production than in experiments with cubes. Turbulence intensity distributions suggest a suppression of horseshoe vortices in the plant case. Comparison of the surface shear-stress measurements with sediment erosion patterns shows that the fraction of time a threshold skin friction velocity is exceeded can be used to assess erosion of, and deposition on, that surface.     

Turbulence Structure in the Wake Region of a Meteorological Tower

A meteorological tower significantly modifies the air flow, the mean windspeed and wind direction as well as the turbulencestructure of the air. Suchchanges can be noticed in particular in the wake region of the tower.Measurementson the 200 m tower ofForschungszentrum Karlsruhewere carried outusing Solent sonic anemometers in the lee of the towerand cup anemometers on both sides.In the wake region, spectral energydensity is increased in the high-frequency range. Superposition of this disturbance spectrum on the undisturbedspectrum yields a `knee' in the resulting spectrum. In the case of low turbulence intensity with stable stratification,a plateau with a constant energy content is observed in front of the knee.This effect is caused by the new production of turbulence energy from the mean flow as well as by an energy transfer fromlarger to smaller vortices. Power spectra in strongly stable conditionsshow a more rapid decrease of intensity in the region where the inertialsubrange is expected.The relevant scales of wake turbulence are derived from the maximum of the disturbance spectrum.Locations of the high-frequency peak do not depend on atmospheric stability,but are controlled mainly by mean wind speed.Apart from the reduction of the mean wind speed, the spectra and cospectra exhibit a strong anisotropy for such cases.The results demonstrate the significant influence of a tower on turbulence spectra in the wake region.     

Observations of Boundary-Layer Wind-Tunnel Flow over Isolated Ridges of Varying Steepness and Roughness

Boundary-layer wind-tunnel flow is measured over isolated ridges of varyingsteepness and roughness. The steepness/roughness parameter space is chosento produce flows that range from fully attached to strongly separated. Measurementsshow that maximum speedup at the hill crest is significantly lower than predictedby linear theory and that recovery in the lee of the hill is much slower for stronglyseparated flow over steep terrain. The measurements also show that behaviour ofthe mean and turbulent components of the flow on the downwind side of the ridgeis fundamentally different between separated and non-separated flows. This suggeststhe dominance of much increased turbulence time and length scales in the lee of thehill in association with a production mechanism that scales with the hill length ratherthan the proximity to the surface as on the windward side of the hill crest.     

Effects of a Fence on Pollutant Dispersion in a Boundary Layer Exposed to a Rural-to-Urban Transition

Simultaneous particle-image velocimetry and laser-induced fluorescence combined with large-eddy simulations are used to investigate the flow and pollutant dispersion behaviour in a rural-to-urban roughness transition. The urban roughness is characterized by an array of cubical obstacles in an aligned arrangement. A plane fence is added one obstacle height h upstream of the urban roughness elements, with three different fence heights considered. A smooth-wall turbulent boundary layer with a depth of 10h is used as the approaching flow, and a passive tracer is released from a uniform line source 1h upstream of the fence. A shear layer is formed at the top of the fence, which increases in strength for the higher fence cases, resulting in a deeper internal boundary layer (IBL). It is found that the mean flow for the rural-to-urban transition can be described by means of a mixing-length model provided that the transitional effects are accounted for. The mixing-length formulation for sparse urban canopies, as found in the literature, is extended to take into account the blockage effect in dense canopies. Additionally, the average mean concentration field is found to scale with the IBL depth and the bulk velocity in the IBL.     

A Wind-Tunnel Investigation of Wind-Turbine Wakes: Boundary-Layer Turbulence Effects

Wind-tunnel experiments were performed to study turbulence in the wake of a model wind turbine placed in a boundary layer developed over rough and smooth surfaces. Hot-wire anemometry was used to characterize the cross-sectional distribution of mean velocity, turbulence intensity and kinematic shear stress at different locations downwind of the turbine for both surface roughness cases. Special emphasis was placed on the spatial distribution of the velocity deficit and the turbulence intensity, which are important factors affecting turbine power generation and fatigue loads in wind energy parks. Non-axisymmetric behaviour of the wake is observed over both roughness types in response to the non-uniform incoming boundary-layer flow and the effect of the surface. Nonetheless, the velocity deficit with respect to the incoming velocity profile is nearly axisymmetric, except near the ground in the far wake where the wake interacts with the surface. It is found that the wind turbine induces a large enhancement of turbulence levels (positive added turbulence intensity) in the upper part of the wake. This is due to the effect of relatively large velocity fluctuations associated with helicoidal tip vortices near the wake edge, where the mean shear is strong. In the lower part of the wake, the mean shear and turbulence intensity are reduced with respect to the incoming flow. The non-axisymmetry of the turbulence intensity distribution of the wake is found to be stronger over the rough surface, where the incoming flow is less uniform at the turbine level. In the far wake the added turbulent intensity, its positive and negative contributions and its local maximum decay as a power law of downwind distance (with an exponent ranging from −0.3 to −0.5 for the rough surface, and with a wider variation for the smooth surface). Nevertheless, the effect of the turbine on the velocity defect and added turbulence intensity is not negligible even in the very far wake, at a distance of fifteen times the rotor diameter.     

Turbulent Pressure and Velocity Perturbations Induced by Gentle Hills Covered with Sparse and Dense Canopies

How the spatial perturbations of the first and second moments of the velocity and pressure fields differ for flow over a train of gentle hills covered by either sparse or dense vegetation is explored using large-eddy simulation (LES). Two simulations are investigated where the canopy is composed of uniformly arrayed rods each with a height that is comparable to the hill height. In the first simulation, the rod density is chosen so that much of the momentum is absorbed within the canopy volume yet the canopy is not dense enough to induce separation on the lee side of the hill. In the second simulation, the rod density is large enough to induce recirculation inside the canopy on the lee side of the hill. For this separating flow case, zones of intense shear stress originating near the canopy-atmosphere interface persist all the way up to the middle layer, ‘contaminating’ much of the middle and outer layers with shear stress gradients. The implications of these persistent shear-stress gradients on rapid distortion theory and phase relationships between higher order velocity statistics and hill-induced mean velocity perturbations (Δu) are discussed. Within the inner layer, these intense shear zones improve predictions of the spatial perturbation by K-theory, especially for the phase relationships between the shear stress (~ ?Δu/?z) and the velocity variances, where z is the height. For the upper canopy layers, wake production increases with increasing leaf area density resulting in a vertical velocity variance more in phase with Δu than with ?Δu/?z. However, background turbulence and inactive eddies may have dampened this effect for the longitudinal velocity variance. The increase in leaf area density does not significantly affect the phase relationship between mean surface pressure and topography for the two simulations, though the LES results here confirm earlier findings that the minimum mean pressure shifts downstream from the hill crest. The increase in leaf area density and associated flow separation simply stretches this difference further downstream. This shift increases the pressure drag, the dominant term in the overall drag on the hill surface, by some 15%. With regards to the normalized pressure variance, increasing leaf area density increases ${\sigma_p/u_{*}^{2}}$ near the canopy top, where u _* is the longitudinally averaged friction velocity at the canopy top and σ _p is the standard deviation of the pressure fluctuations. This increase is shown to be consistent with a primitive scaling argument on the leading term describing the mean-flow turbulent interaction. This scaling argument also predicts the spatial variations in σ _p above the canopy reasonably well for both simulations, but not inside the canopy.     

Modification of fronts by the Alps: Simulations and numerical experimentation

Summary An isentropic limited area model is used to simulate and investigate the frontal passages of 3 May and 8 October 1987. It is demonstrated that a southward outbreak of air with high potential vorticity on 3 May 1987 affected the propagation of the front to the north of the Alps and the related formation of an orographic jet. Moreover, the outbreak plays a crucial role in the genesis of a lee cyclone. On the other hand, no such outbreak occurred on 8 October 1987 and it is shown that the propagation of the front near the ground was hardly affected by the flow at upper levels.With 10 Figures     

Flow around a windbreak in oblique wind

Wind speed was measured near the surface, along a line normal to a single, 50 % porous windbreak. The results for near-neutral atmospheric conditions were strongly dependent on the incidence angle of the wind, a, and slightly dependent on the roughness of the surface. A measure of the shelter effect - the protected distance - was found to decrease faster than cos . The drag coefficient of the windbreak decreased proportionally with cos . The effect of increased roughness was to increase the wind speed near the surface in the lee of the windbreak.     

两方程湍流模型对内背风波数值模拟的影响

为了深入理解非静力近似下的波-湍相互作用问题,本研究在σ坐标的海洋环境研究和预报模型(MERF)中引入常用的Mellor-Yamada两方程湍混合参数化方案(MY2.5),评估垂向湍混合对小尺度背风波传播过程的影响.瞬时状态场的模拟结果表明,无论是否为非静力近似条件,上述湍参数化方案的引入都会减弱背风波传播的模拟效果.从时间平均场的试验结果来看,垂向湍混合过程会显著减小非静力近似和静力近似之间的差异.此外,能量收支分析的诊断结果表明,MY2.5方案会显著抑制陆坡地形下的背风波传播过程,进而将更多的潮能转化到不可逆的湍混合过程中.     

南京冬季浓雾的演变特征及爆发性增强研究

2007年12月18—19日,南京地区出现了一次持续20h的浓雾过程,其中能见度低于50m的强浓雾几乎占到整个雾过程的1／3。利用同期在南京市北郊的外场观测数据,结合NCEP再分析资料,分析了该次雾的演变过程、微物理结构及边界层特征,探讨了地面雾爆发性增强的成因。结果表明：本次雾在西南平流的增湿作用下触发生成;日出后,平流输送和地表蒸发提供了充足水汽来源,贴地层逆温因高空下沉增温而向上抬升且稳定存在,因此大雾得以维持;整个雾过程中雾滴数浓度、平均直径、含水量随时间的变化趋势基本一致,平均谱曲线均呈指数下降分布,雾滴集中在小滴端;两次地面雾爆发性增强均发生在夜间,其特征为各微物理参量明显增大,滴谱上抬拓宽;爆发性增强的原因是地表气温陡降、贴地层逆温增强及可充当雾滴凝结核的气溶胶大粒子数增多。     

The turbulent structure of the internal boundary layer near the shore

A field experiment to measure the turbulent structure of the internal boundary layer near the shore was conducted using three instrumented meteorological poles, a kytoon, and a crane-mounted ultrasonic anemometer-thermometer, as well as three reference ultrasonic anemometer-thermometers positioned near the poles. Part 1 of this study gives the explicit details and general characteristics for one run of the experiment. Part 2 (Ohara and Ogawa, 1984) will present a similarity and energy budget analysis. The mean velocity profiles showed that there was wind speed acceleration due to the sea-land temperature difference. In addition, the velocity profiles consisted of three distinct regions; the region near the ground had the largest gradient followed by a transition zone which had a small velocity gradient, while above, the profile resembled the oncoming sea breeze. In general, the turbulence was greatest near the shore, gradually decreasing inland. The lowest region had large turbulence intensities and the transition region had some intermittent turbulence characteristics between the lower strong unstable layer and the relatively turbulent-free region above.Deceased March 1984.Present address: The Institute of Behavioral Sciences, Yoyagi, Tokyo 151, Japan.