Large-Eddy Simulation of Turbulent Organized Structures within and above Explicitly Resolved Cube Arrays

Large-eddy simulations have been performed for fully developed turbulent flow within and above explicitly resolved simple cube arrays. The results from our model, hereafter LES-CITY, are shown to agree with laboratory experiments. We investigated the systematic influence of cube density on turbulent flow characteristics by performing numerical experiments for cube areal densities from 0 to 44%. The following results were obtained: (1) The dispersive momentum flux was quite large within the canopy layer due to a mean stream re-circulation, whereas it was smaller above the canopy. The spatial variation of temporally averaged momentum in the roughness sub-layer was 20% or less of the total kinematic surface drag. (2) The temporally and spatially-averaged flow structure confirmed the existence of conventionally described canyon flow regimes; isolated, interfacial, and wake. However, the intermittency of the canyon flow for all cube densities was quite large and the stream patterns were never persistent. (3) Turbulent organized structures (TOS) similar to those observed in turbulent surface-layer flows were simulated, which are characterized by longitudinally-elongated low speed streaks and the corresponding shorter streamwise vortices. The streaks in sparse and dense canopy flows were likely to be aligned to the street line and to the roof lines, respectively. Such heterogeneity of TOS partially accounts for the large spatial variation of momentum flux. (4) In contrast to the mixing layer analogy of vegetation flows, the TOS and the resulting turbulent statistics of urban flow above the canopy resembled those in surface layers. The recirculation within the canopy significantly influenced the turbulent statistical properties.     

The Effects of Building Representation and Clustering in Large-Eddy Simulations of Flows in Urban Canopies

We perform large-eddy simulations of neutral atmospheric boundary-layer flow over a cluster of buildings surrounded by relatively flat terrain. The first investigated question is the effect of the level of building detail that can be included in the numerical model, a topic not yet addressed by any previous study. The simplest representation is found to give similar results to more refined representations for the mean flow, but not for turbulence. The wind direction on the other hand is found to be important for both mean and turbulent parameters. As many suburban areas are characterised by the clustering of buildings and homes into small areas separated by surfaces of lower roughness, we look at the adjustment of the atmospheric surface layer as it flows from the smoother terrain to the built-up area. This transition has unexpected impacts on the flow; mainly, a zone of global backscatter (energy transfer from the turbulent eddies to the mean flow) is found at the upstream edge of the built-up area.     

The Effects of Vegetation Density on Coherent Turbulent Structures within the Canopy Sublayer: A Large-Eddy Simulation Study

Large-eddy simulation has become an important tool for the study of the atmospheric boundary layer. However, since large-eddy simulation does not simulate small scales, which do interact to some degree with large scales, and does not explicitly resolve the viscous sublayer, it is reasonable to ask if these limitations affect significantly the ability of large-eddy simulation to simulate large-scale coherent structures. This issue is investigated here through the analysis of simulated coherent structures with the proper orthogonal decomposition technique. We compare large-eddy simulation of the atmospheric boundary layer with direct numerical simulation of channel flow. Despite the differences of the two flow types it is expected that the atmospheric boundary layer should exhibit similar structures as those in the channel flow, since these large-scale coherent structures arise from the same primary instability generated by the interaction of the mean flow with the wall surface in both flows. It is shown here that several important similarities are present in the two simulations: (i) coherent structures in the spanwise-vertical plane consist of a strong ejection between a pair of counter-rotating vortices; (ii) each vortex in the pair is inclined from the wall in the spanwise direction with a tilt angle of approximately 45°; (iii) the vortex pair curves up in the streamwise direction. Overall, this comparison adds further confidence in the ability of large-eddy simulation to produce large-scale structures even when wall models are used. Truncated reconstruction of instantaneous turbulent fields is carried out, testing the ability of the proper orthogonal decomposition technique to approximate the original turbulent field with only a few of the most important eigenmodes. It is observed that the proper orthogonal decomposition reconstructs the turbulent kinetic energy more efficiently than the vorticity.