High-resolution atmospheric boundary layer simulations using WRF-LES

Author(s):  
Gokhan Kirkil

<p>WRF model provides a potentially powerful framework for coupled simulations of flow covering a wide range of<br>spatial and temporal scales via a successive grid nesting capability. Nesting can be repeated down to turbulence<br>solving large eddy simulation (LES) scales, providing a means for significant improvements of simulation of<br>turbulent atmospheric boundary layers. We will present the recent progress on our WRF-LES simulations of<br>the Perdigao Experiment performed over mountainous terrain. We performed multi-scale simulations using<br>WRF’s different Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) parameterizations as well as Large Eddy Simulation (LES)<br>and compared the results with the detailed field measurements. WRF-LES model improved the mean flow field<br>as well as second-order flow statistics. Mean fluctuations and turbulent kinetic energy fields from WRF-LES<br>solution are investigated in several cross-sections around the hill which shows good agreement with measurements.</p>

Author(s):  
Stephan Priebe ◽  
Daniel Wilkin ◽  
Andy Breeze-Stringfellow ◽  
Giridhar Jothiprasad ◽  
Lawrence C. Cheung

Abstract Shock/boundary layer interactions (SBLI) are a fundamental fluid mechanics problem relevant in a wide range of applications including transonic rotors in turbomachinery. This paper uses wall-resolved large eddy simulation (LES) to examine the interaction of normal shocks with laminar and turbulent inflow boundary layers in transonic flow. The calculations were performed using GENESIS, a high-order, unstructured LES solver. The geometry created for this study is a transonic passage with a convergent-divergent nozzle that expands the flow to the desired Mach number upstream of the shock and then introduces constant radius curvature to simulate local airfoil camber. The Mach numbers in the divergent section of the transonic passage simulate single stage commercial fan blades. The results predicted with the LES calculations show significant differences between laminar and turbulent SBLI in terms of shock structure, boundary layer separation and transition, and aerodynamic losses. For laminar flow into the shock, significant flow separation and low-frequency unsteadiness occur, while for turbulent flow into the shock, both the boundary layer loss and the low-frequency unsteadiness are reduced.


Author(s):  
W. Andrew McMullan ◽  
Gary J. Page

A Controlled Diffusion cascade stator blade has been studied numerically using Large Eddy Simulation (LES). The aim of the study is to assess the performance of Large Eddy Simulation in predicting flow features on a highly-loaded blade, including leading-edge separation, transition and turbulent reattachment, particularly at off-design conditions. The need for LES to be performed on high resolution grids is highlighted by preliminary simulations on a mesh typically used in Reynolds-Averaged approaches. On a fine grid, the unsteady flow features captured by time-dependent simulation yield an improvement in surface pressure distributions and boundary layer profiles, although some weaknesses are apparent in the prediction of pressure-side boundary layer properties and wake profiles. The computed loss coefficients show potential for LES to be used to obtain loss-loop data over a wide range of incidence angles.


2017 ◽  
Vol 820 ◽  
pp. 121-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Cheng ◽  
D. I. Pullin ◽  
R. Samtaney ◽  
W. Zhang ◽  
W. Gao

We present wall-resolved large-eddy simulations (LES) of flow over a smooth-wall circular cylinder up to$Re_{D}=8.5\times 10^{5}$, where$Re_{D}$is Reynolds number based on the cylinder diameter$D$and the free-stream speed$U_{\infty }$. The stretched-vortex subgrid-scale (SGS) model is used in the entire simulation domain. For the sub-critical regime, six cases are implemented with$3.9\times 10^{3}\leqslant Re_{D}\leqslant 10^{5}$. Results are compared with experimental data for both the wall-pressure-coefficient distribution on the cylinder surface, which dominates the drag coefficient, and the skin-friction coefficient, which clearly correlates with the separation behaviour. In the super-critical regime, LES for three values of$Re_{D}$are carried out at different resolutions. The drag-crisis phenomenon is well captured. For lower resolution, numerical discretization fluctuations are sufficient to stimulate transition, while for higher resolution, an applied boundary-layer perturbation is found to be necessary to stimulate transition. Large-eddy simulation results at$Re_{D}=8.5\times 10^{5}$, with a mesh of$8192\times 1024\times 256$, agree well with the classic experimental measurements of Achenbach (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 34, 1968, pp. 625–639) especially for the skin-friction coefficient, where a spike is produced by the laminar–turbulent transition on the top of a prior separation bubble. We document the properties of the attached-flow boundary layer on the cylinder surface as these vary with$Re_{D}$. Within the separated portion of the flow, mean-flow separation–reattachment bubbles are observed at some values of$Re_{D}$, with separation characteristics that are consistent with experimental observations. Time sequences of instantaneous surface portraits of vector skin-friction trajectory fields indicate that the unsteady counterpart of a mean-flow separation–reattachment bubble corresponds to the formation of local flow-reattachment cells, visible as coherent bundles of diverging surface streamlines.


2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bobin Wang ◽  
Guixiang Cui

Thermal instability induced by solar radiation is the most common condition of urban atmosphere in daytime. Compared to researches under neutral conditions, only a few numerical works studied the unstable urban boundary layer and the effect of buoyancy force is unclear. In this paper, unstably stratified turbulent boundary layer flow over three-dimensional urban-like building arrays with ground heating is simulated. Large eddy simulation is applied to capture main turbulence structures and the effect of buoyancy force on turbulence can be investigated. Lagrangian dynamic subgrid scale model is used for complex flow together with a wall function, taking into account the large pressure gradient near buildings. The numerical model and method are verified with the results measured in wind tunnel experiment. The simulated results satisfy well with the experiment in mean velocity and temperature, as well as turbulent intensities. Mean flow structure inside canopy layer varies with thermal instability, while no large secondary vortex is observed. Turbulent intensities are enhanced, as buoyancy force contributes to the production of turbulent kinetic energy.


Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 240
Author(s):  
Rayonil Carneiro ◽  
Gilberto Fisch ◽  
Theomar Neves ◽  
Rosa Santos ◽  
Carlos Santos ◽  
...  

This study investigated the erosion of the nocturnal boundary layer (NBL) over the central Amazon using a high-resolution model of large-eddy simulation (LES) named PArallel Les Model (PALM) and observational data from Green Ocean Amazon (GoAmazon) project 2014/5. This data set was collected during four intense observation periods (IOPs) in the dry and rainy seasons in the years 2014 (considered a typical year) and 2015, during which an El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) event predominated and provoked an intense dry season. The outputs from the PALM simulations represented reasonably well the NBL erosion, and the results showed that it has different characteristics between the seasons. During the rainy season, the IOPs exhibited slow surface heating and less intense convection, which resulted in a longer erosion period, typically about 3 h after sunrise (that occurs at 06:00 local time). In contrast, dry IOPs showed more intensive surface warming with stronger convection, resulting in faster NBL erosion, about 2 h after sunrise. A conceptual model was derived to investigate the complete erosion during sunrise hours when there is a very shallow mixed layer formed close to the surface and a stable layer above. The kinematic heat flux for heating this layer during the erosion period showed that for the rainy season, the energy emitted from the surface and the entrainment was not enough to fully heat the NBL layer and erode it. Approximately 30% of additional energy was used in the system, which could come from the release of energy from biomass. The dry period of 2014 showed stronger heating, but it was also not enough, requiring approximately 6% of additional energy. However, for the 2015 dry period, which was under the influence of the ENSO event, it was shown that the released surface fluxes were sufficient to fully heat the layer. The erosion time of the NBL probably influenced the development of the convective boundary layer (CBL), wherein greater vertical development was observed in the dry season IOPs (~1500 m), while the rainy season IOPs had a shallower layer (~1200 m).


Author(s):  
Xiaofeng Yang ◽  
Saurabh Gupta ◽  
Tang-Wei Kuo ◽  
Venkatesh Gopalakrishnan

A comparative cold flow analysis between Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) and large eddy simulation (LES) cycle-averaged velocity and turbulence predictions is carried out for a single cylinder engine with a transparent combustion chamber (TCC) under motored conditions using high-speed particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements as the reference data. Simulations are done using a commercial computationally fluid dynamics (CFD) code CONVERGE with the implementation of standard k-ε and RNG k-ε turbulent models for RANS and a one-equation eddy viscosity model for LES. The following aspects are analyzed in this study: The effects of computational domain geometry (with or without intake and exhaust plenums) on mean flow and turbulence predictions for both LES and RANS simulations. And comparison of LES versus RANS simulations in terms of their capability to predict mean flow and turbulence. Both RANS and LES full and partial geometry simulations are able to capture the overall mean flow trends qualitatively; but the intake jet structure, velocity magnitudes, turbulence magnitudes, and its distribution are more accurately predicted by LES full geometry simulations. The guideline therefore for CFD engineers is that RANS partial geometry simulations (computationally least expensive) with a RNG k-ε turbulent model and one cycle or more are good enough for capturing overall qualitative flow trends for the engineering applications. However, if one is interested in getting reasonably accurate estimates of velocity magnitudes, flow structures, turbulence magnitudes, and its distribution, they must resort to LES simulations. Furthermore, to get the most accurate turbulence distributions, one must consider running LES full geometry simulations.


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