Flow over Hills: A Large-Eddy Simulation of the Bolund Case

Simulation of local atmospheric flows around complex topography is important for several applications in wind energy (short-term wind forecasting and turbine siting and control), local weather prediction in mountainous regions and avalanche risk assessment. However, atmospheric simulation around steep mountain topography remains challenging, and a number of different approaches are used to represent such topography in numerical models. The immersed boundary method (IBM) is particularly well-suited for efficient and numerically stable simulation of flow around steep terrain. It uses a homogenous grid and permits a fast meshing of the topography. Here, we use the IBM in conjunction with a large-eddy simulation (LES) and test it against two unique datasets. In the first comparison, the LES is used to reproduce experimental results from a wind-tunnel study of a smooth three-dimensional hill. In the second comparison, we simulate the wind field around the Bolund Hill, Denmark, and make direct comparisons with field measurements. Both cases show good agreement between the simulation results and the experimental data, with the largest disagreement observed near the surface. The source of error is investigated by performing additional simulations with a variety of spatial resolutions and surface roughness properties.

Large-Eddy Simulation of the Convective Atmospheric Boundary Layer over Heterogeneous Land Surfaces

Chad Higgins, Daniel Nadeau, Marc Parlange

The parameterization of the atmospheric boundary layer is crucial for accurate numerical weather predictions. Over heterogeneous terrain, several open challenges remain regarding the growth of internal boundary layers, the determination of mixing layer heights and the spatial distribution of heat and momentum fluxes. The large-eddy simulation (LES) code we apply is based on the very robust Lagrangian scale-dependent dynamic subgrid-scale model. The flow is driven by a mean pressure gradient expressed in terms of horizontal geostrophic winds. The code is pseudo-spectral with spectral decomposition in the horizontal dimensions. Land surface heterogeneities take the form of distributed patches of surface temperature and momentum roughness derived from satellite imagery and land use analysis. Although recent developments in the code have enabled the simulation of the complete diurnal cycle, the focus here is restricted to convective conditions. Data from LITFASS 2003 (standing for Lindenberg Inhomogeneous Terrain Fluxes between Atmosphere and Surface: a long-term Study) are utilized to validate the simulation results. The LES domain covers a 99-m meteorological tower with turbulent measurements and a few surface micrometeorological stations. We investigate the presence of large-scale turbulent structures that are typical for daytime conditions with a particular interest in the blending height. Overall, this study illustrates how important is the accurate parameterization of heterogeneous terrain in studies of the atmospheric boundary layer.

2009

Large-eddy simulation of atmospheric boundary layer flow through wind turbines and wind farms

Hao Lu, Fernando Porté Agel, Yu-Ting Wu

Accurate prediction of atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) flow and its interactions with wind turbines and wind farms is critical for optimizing the design (turbine siting) of wind energy projects. Large-eddy simulation (LES) can potentially provide the kind of high-resolution spatial and temporal information needed to maximize wind energy production and minimize fatigue loads in wind farms. However, the accuracy of LESs of ABL flow with wind turbines hinges on our ability to parameterize subgrid-scale (SGS) turbulent fluxes as well as turbine-induced forces. This paper focuses on recent research efforts to develop and validate an LES framework for wind energy applications. SGS fluxes are parameterized using tuning-free Lagrangian scale-dependent dynamic models. These models optimize the local value of the model coefficients based on the dynamics of the resolved scales. The turbine-induced forces (e.g., thrust, lift and drag) are parameterized using two types of models: actuator-disk models that distribute the force loading over the rotor disk, and actuator-line models that distribute the forces along lines that follow the position of the blades. Simulation results are compared to wind-tunnel measurements collected with hot-wire anemometry in the wake of a miniature three-blade wind turbine placed in a boundary layer flow. In general, the characteristics of the turbine wakes simulated with the proposed LES framework are in good agreement with the measurements in the far-wake region. Near the turbine, up to about five rotor diameters downwind, the best performance is obtained with turbine models that induce wake-flow rotation and account for the non-uniformity of the turbine-induced forces. Finally, the LES framework is used to simulate atmospheric boundary-layer flow through an operational wind farm. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Elsevier2011

Stable Atmospheric Boundary-Layer Flows over a Steep, Alpine Slope: Observations, Theory and Multi-Scale Transport Dynamics

Chad Higgins, Holly Jayne Oldroyd, Eric Richard Pardyjak, Marc Parlange

Katabatic flows are high density air flows traversing down a slope under the action of a gravitational force. These flows can be exploited for wind energy and are gaining importance in predicting scalar transport (e.g. pollutants, water vapor, CO2 drainage) within mountainous regions and in forming large cold air pools in valleys and basins. Summertime measurements over a steep slope in a narrow alpine valley (Val Ferret, Switzerland) were collected so as to explore the components of the mean longitudinal momentum balance leading to the formation of the katabatic jet. During clear-sky nights with weak synoptic forcing, observations show a strong, near-surface temperature gradient and a subsequent, weak katabatic jet with a peak velocity at less than 1 m from the surface. Two distinct log-linear layers, both in mean velocity and in temperature, characterize the katabatic jet layer (up to ~6 m) where fluxes of heat and momentum vary with height. This departure from the so-called constant-stress region typifies difficulties in modeling and predicting flows over steep topography. To circumvent some of these difficulties, a one-dimensional model for the vertical flux gradient that couples momentum and thermal balances was used to predict the mean velocity and turbulent flux profiles for katabatic flows over steep, vegetated slopes. The model predicts realistic profiles of heat and momentum fluxes in comparison with the field measurements. For example, in the case of the modeled momentum flux, the sign of the flux changes at the height of peak velocity and the higher gradient near the surface is well reproduced. It is conjectured that unsteadiness in synoptic scale conditions can be partly accommodated via a dynamic mean horizontal pressure gradient at a point. Order of magnitude calculations suggest that this term can be larger than the so-called thermal wind term when the katabatic flow is sufficiently shallow, as is the case on steep slopes. This model may serve as a test bench for various turbulent closure models that could be implemented to improve large-scale numerical weather predictions in those regions characterized by complex topography.