• Wind and Structures
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.21-36
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• 2010

A new full scale testing apparatus generically named the Wall of Wind (WoW) has been built by the researchers at the International Hurricane Research Center (IHRC) at Florida International University (FIU). WoW is capable of testing single story building models subjected up to category 3 hurricane wind speeds. Depending on the relative model and WoW wind field sizes, testing may entail blockage issues. In addition, the proximity of the test building to the wind simulator may also affect the aerodynamic data. This study focuses on the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) assessment of the effects on the quality of the aerodynamic data of (i) blockage due to model buildings of various sizes and (ii) wind simulator proximity for various distances between the wind simulator and the test building. The test buildings were assumed to have simple parallelepiped shapes. The computer simulations were performed under both finite WoW wind-field conditions and in an extended Atmospheric Boundary Layer (ABL) wind flow. Mean pressure coefficients for the roof and the windward and leeward walls served as measures of the blockage and wind simulator proximity effects. The study uses the commercial software FLUENT with Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes equations and a Renormalization Group (RNG) k-${\varepsilon}$ turbulence model. The results indicated that for larger size test specimens (i.e. for cases where the height of test specimen is larger than one third of the wind field height) blockage correction may become necessary. The test specimen should also be placed at a distance greater than twice the height of the test specimen from the fans to reduce proximity effect.

• Atmosphere
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.315-326
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• 2007

The effects of windbreaks on the reduction of suspended particles are investigated using a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model with the ${\kappa}-{\varepsilon}$ turbulence closure scheme based on the renormalization group (RNG) theory. In the control experiment, the recirculation zones behind the storage piles are generated and, as a whole, relatively monotonous flow patterns appear. When the windbreaks with the 0% porosity are constructed, the recirculation zones are generated by the windbreaks and very complicated flow patterns appear due to the interference between the windbreaks and storage piles. The porosity of the windbreaks suppresses the generation of the recirculation zone and decreases the wind velocity in the windbreaks as well as that outside the windbreaks. As the emission of suspended particles from the storage piles are closely related with the friction velocity at the surfaces of the storage piles, variation of the friction velocity and total amount of the emission of the suspended particles with the height and porosity of the windbreaks are investigated. The results show that higher and more porous windbreaks emit less suspended particles and that the reduction effect of the porosity is still more effective than that of the height. In the case of the windbreak with 30 m height and 50% porosity, friction velocities above the storage piles are smaller than the critical friction velocity above which particles would be suspended. As a result, total amount of suspended particles are much fewer than those in other cases.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.19 no.11
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• pp.1423-1436
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• 2010

The effects of meteorological and reclaiming conditions on the reduction of suspended particles are investigated using a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model with the k-$\varepsilon$ turbulence closure scheme based on the renormalization group (RNG) theory. Twelve numerical experiments with different meteorological and reclaiming conditions are performed. For identifying the meteorological characteristics of the target area and providing the inflow conditions of the CFD model, the observed data from the automatic weather station (AWS) near the target area is analyzed. Complicated flow patterns such as flow distortion, horse-shoe vortex, recirculation zone, and channeling flow appeared due to the topography and buildings in the domain. Specially, the flow characteristics around the reclamation area are affected by the reclaiming height, reclaiming size and windbreak height. Reclaiming height affected the wind speed above the reclaiming area. Windbreak induces more complicated flow patterns around the reclaiming area as well as within the reclaiming area. In front of the windbreak, flow is distorted as it impinges on the windbreak. As a result, upward flow is generated there. Behind the windbreak, a secondary circulation, so called, a recirculation zone is generated and flow is reattached at the end of the recirculation zone (reattachment point). At the lower part of the recirculation zone, there is a reverse flow toward the windbreak. Flow passing to the reattachment point starts to be recovered. Total amounts of suspended particles are calculated using the frictional and threshold frictional velocities, erosion potential function, and the number of surface disturbance. In the case of a 10 m-reclaiming and northerly wind, the amount of suspended particles is largest. In the presence of 5 m windbreak, the friction velocity above the reclaiming area is largely reduced. As a result, the total amount of the suspended particles largely decreases, compared to the case with the same reclaiming and meteorological conditions except for the windbreak The calculated suspended particle amounts are used as the emission rate of the dispersion model simulations and the dispersion characteristics of the suspended particles are analyzed.