• Wind and Structures
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.503-524
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• 2016

The suitability of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations on the built environment for the purpose of estimating average roughness characteristics and for studying wind flow patterns within the environment is assessed. Urban models of various levels of complexity are considered including an empty domain, array of obstacles arranged in regular and staggered manners, in-homogeneous roughness with multiple patches, a semi-idealized built environment, and finally a real built environment. For each of the test cases, we conducted CFD simulations using RANS turbulence closure and validated the results against appropriate methods: existing empirical formulas for the homogeneous roughness case, empirical wind speed models for the in-homogeneous roughness case, and wind tunnel tests for the semi-idealized built environment case. In general, results obtained from the CFD simulations show good agreement with the corresponding validation methods, thereby, giving further evidence to the suitability of CFD simulations for built environment studies consisting of wide-ranging roughness. This work also provides a comprehensive overview of roughness modeling in CFD-from the simplest approach of modeling roughness implicitly through wall functions to the most elaborate approach of modeling roughness explicitly for the sake of accurate wind flow simulations within the built environment.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.18 no.8
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• pp.833-839
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• 2009

The calculation of the wind field for resource assessment is done by using CFD Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes simulations performed with the commercial software WindSim. A new interface has been created to use mesoscale simulation data from a meteorological model as driving data for the simulations. This method makes it necessary to take into account thermal effects on the wind field to exploit the full potential of this method. The procedure for considering thermal effects in CFD wind field simulations as well as the impact of thermal effects on the wind field simulations is presented. Simulations for non-neutral atmospheric conditions with the developed method are consistent with expected behavior and show an improvement of simulation results compared with observations.

• Ocean Systems Engineering
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.247-265
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• 2022

In the present study, we focus on the CFD simulations for the performance and the rotor-generated wake of a model-scale wind turbine which was designed for wave tank experiments. The CFD simulations with fully resolved rotor geometry are performed using MARIN's community-based open-source CFD code ReFRESCO. The absolute formulation method (AFM) is leveraged to model the rotating wind turbine. The k - ω SST turbulence model is adopted in the incompressible Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) simulations. First, the thrust and torque coefficients, C_T and C_P, are calculated at different Tip Speed Ratios (TSR), and the results are compared against the experimental data and previous numerical results. The pressure distribution of the turbine blades at the 70% span is obtained and compared to the results obtained by other tools. Then, a verification study aiming at quantifying the discretization uncertainty of the turbine performance with respect to the grid resolution in the wake region is performed. Last, the rotor-generated wake at the TSR of 7 is presented and discussed.

• Advances in aircraft and spacecraft science
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.445-467
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• 2015

The paper presents some details of the CFD modeling of a novel design where jet ignition devices replace the traditional spark plugs for a faster and more complete combustion. The numerical simulations show how the pre-chamber jet ignition in a Wankel engine differs from reciprocating piston engine applications. The jets issuing from the jet ignition pre-chamber have many different speeds in the different directions as the pressure build-up at the trailing edge of the rotating chamber makes extremely fast the ignition of the chamber mixture in the direction of rotation. Conversely it prevents the jet ignition in the opposite direction. Careful positioning along the periphery and design of the connecting pipes and the prechamber volume with the help of CFD simulations permits to achieve extremely fast and complete combustion as impossible with spark plugs. The paper proposes results of CFD simulations of the combustion evolution within a jet ignited Wankel engine rotor, detailing challenges and opportunities of the application, as well as a first assessment of the impact the faster and more complete combustion permitted by jet ignition may have on the performances of Wankel engines for unmanned aerial vehicles applications.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.557-571
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• 2020

High-resolution flows around a steep mountainous island (Ulleungdo) in Korea were simulated by a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model. To cover entire Ulleungdo and to resolve the topography around the Ulleungdo automatic synoptic observing system (ASOS) with high resolution, one-way nested grid system with large (60 m), and small (20 m) grid sizes was applied in the CFD model simulations. We conducted the numerical simulations for 16 inflow directions, and, for each inflow direction, we considered six different wind velocities(5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 m s^-1) at the reference height (1,000 m). The effects of topography on surface wind observations were well reflected in the observed wind roses for the period of January 01, 2012 ~ December 31, 2016 at the Ulleungdo ASOS and marine buoy. Wind roses at the Ulleungdo ASOS was reproduced based on the CFD simulations. The changes in surface winds at the Ulleungdo ASOS caused by surrounding topography were relatively well simulated by the CFD model. The simulated wind-rose indicated that south-southwesterly and northeasterly were the dominant wind directions, which were also observed at the Ulleungdo ASOS. We investigated the flow characteristics around the Ulleungdo ASOS for northwesterly, south-southwesterly, and northeasterly winds in detail.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.99-119
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• 2007

Estimations of wind flow over terrain are often needed for applications such as pollutant dispersion, transport safety or wind farm location. Whilst field studies offer very detailed information regarding the wind potential over a small region, the cost of instrumenting a natural fetch alone is prohibitive. Wind tunnels offer one alternative although wind tunnel simulations can suffer from scale effects and high costs as well. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) offers a second alternative which is increasingly seen as a viable one by wind engineers. There are two issues associated with CFD however, that of accuracy of the predictions and set-up and simulation times. This paper aims to address the two issues by demonstrating, by way of an investigation of wind potential for the Askervein Hill, that a good level of accuracy can be obtained with CFD (10% for the speed up ratio) and that it is possible to automate the simulations in order to compute a full wind rose efficiently. The paper shows how a combination of script and session files can be written to drive and automate CFD simulations based on commercial software. It proposes a general methodology for the automation of CFD applied to the computation of wind flow over a region of interest.

• New & Renewable Energy
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.17-25
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• 2024

In this study, the effect of the time step specified in a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation on load response is analyzed and the drag coefficients of the floating body of floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs) are estimated. By evaluating the error in the FOWT load response and the change in the drag-coefficient values based on the density of the time intervals, this study aims to establish a time-interval setting that minimizes the time and cost of CFD simulations for selecting drag-coefficient values. Practical CFD utilization strategies necessary for the calibration of medium-to high-fidelity analysis tools are presented. Based on a comparative analysis of CFD simulations conducted at various time intervals, the results confirmed that under a certain time interval that sufficiently considers various factors, the accuracy of the FOWT response with respect to density shows minimal differences, thereby providing an efficient utilization method for CFD simulations in FOWT design and analysis.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.169-176
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• 2019

In the present study, a CFD/DSMC hybrid method performed by a coupled analysis between the CFD method and the DSMC method was developed to obtain the flow information on the rarefied gas flows effectively. Flow simulations around the high speed vehicles on the transition flow regimes were conducted by using the developed method. The FRESH-FX vehicle made of cone and cylinder shapes was considered for the simulations. The results of the hybrid method were compared with the results of the pure CFD and the pure DSMC method to confirm the reliability and efficiency of the hybrid method. It was found that the gradient and the intensity of the shock waves were weakened due to the relatively low density on the transition flow regime. It was confirmed that the results of the hybrid analysis were different to those of the pure CFD analysis and almost identical to those of the pure DSMC analysis. In addition, the computational time of the hybrid method was reduced than that of the pure DSMC method. As a result, it was obtained that the validity and the efficiency of the CFD/DSMC hybrid method.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.99-112
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• 2021

The prediction of maneuverability is very important in the design process of an underwater vehicle. In this study, we predicted the steady turning ability of a symmetrical underwater vehicle while considering interactions between the yaw rate and drift/rudder angle through a simulation-based methodology. First, the hydrodynamic force and moment, including coupled derivatives, were obtained by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. The feasibility of CFD results were verified by comparing static drift/rudder simulations to vertical planar motion mechanism (VPMM) tests. Turning motion simulations were then performed by solving 2-degree-of-freedom (DOF) equations with CFD data. The turning radius, drift angle, advance, and tactical diameter were calculated. The results show good agreement with sea trial data and the effects on the turning characteristics of coupled interaction terms, especially between the yaw rate and drift angle.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.129-136
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• 2023

To evaluate manoeuvring performance of merchant ships, the mathematical modeling group (MMG) or computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations are used. However, it is difficult to use the MMG to evaluate the manoeuvring performance of fishing vessels, thus research using CFD simulations is necessary. Also, since the course-changing and turning ability is crucial in fishing operations, a rudder design suitable for fishing vessels is necessary. This study designs a rudder using National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) airfoil sections and evaluates its manoeuvring performance. A CFD model is used to evaluate the manoeuvring performance of the fishing vessel, and turning and zig-zag tests are conducted. The effectiveness of using CFD simulations based on Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes equations to assess the manoeuvring performance of fishing vessels was validated. No significant difference was found in the manoeuvring performance for hull forms and rudder designs for course-changing ability. However, the original hull form showed superior turning performance. Among five rudders with varying aspect ratios and shapes, the rudder with 5.5% aspect ratio had the best turning performance. Regarding the rudder design for fishing vessels, NACA airfoil was employed, and a rudder aspect ratio of 5.5% based on the immersed hull side area is recommended.