• Wind and Structures
• /
• v.18 no.3
• /
• pp.235-252
• /
• 2014

An effective numerical technique to calculate the reactions of a multi-spanned transmission line conductor system, under arbitrary loads varying along the spans, is developed. Such variable loads are generated by High Intensity Wind (HIW) events in the form of tornadoes and downburst. First, a semi-closed form solution is derived to obtain the displacements and the reactions at the ends of each conductor span. The solution accounts for the nonlinearity of the system and the flexibility of the insulators. Second, a numerical scheme to solve the derived closed-form solution is proposed. Two conductor systems are analyzed under loads resulting from HIW events for validation of the proposed technique. Non-linear Finite Element Analyses (FEA) are also conducted for the same two systems. The responses resulting from the technique are shown to be in a very good agreement with those resulting from the FEA, which confirms the technique accuracy. Meanwhile, the semi-closed form technique shows superior efficiency in terms of the required computational time. The saving in computational time has a great advantage in predicting the response of the conductors under HIW events, since this requires a large number of analyses to cover different potential locations and sizes of those localized events.

• Wind and Structures
• /
• v.37 no.6
• /
• pp.413-423
• /
• 2023

Wind turbines are usually steel hollow structures that can be vulnerable to dramatic failures due to high-intensity wind (HIW) events, which are classified as a category of localized windstorms that includes tornadoes and downbursts. Analyzing Wind Turbines (WT) under tornadoes is a challenging-to-achieve task because tornadoes are much more complicated wind fields compared with the synoptic boundary layer wind fields, considering that the tornado's 3-D velocity components vary largely in space. As a result, the supporting tower of the wind turbine and the blades will experience different velocities depending on the location of the event. Wind farms also extend over a large area so that the probability of a localized windstorm event impacting one or more towers is relatively high. Therefore, the built-in-house numerical code "HIW-WT" has been developed to predict the straining actions on the blades considering the variability of the tornado's location and the blades' pitch angle. The developed HIWWT numerical model incorporates different wind fields that were generated from developed CFD models. The developed numerical model was applied on an actual wind turbine under three different tornadoes that have different tornadic structure. It is found that F2 tornado wind fields present significant hazard for the wind turbine blades and have to be taken into account if the hazardous impact of this type of unexpected load is to be avoided.

• Wind and Structures
• /
• v.10 no.3
• /
• pp.249-268
• /
• 2007

Past experience indicates that the majority of failures of electrical transmission tower structures occurred during high intensity wind events, such as downbursts. The wind load distribution associated with these localized events is different than the boundary layer wind profile that is typically used in the design of structures. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study represents the first comprehensive investigation that assesses the effect of varying the downburst parameters on the structural performance of a transmission line structure. The study focuses on a guyed tower structure and is conducted numerically using, as a case study, one of the towers that failed in Manitoba, Canada, during a downburst event in 1996. The study provides an insight about the spatial and time variation of the downburst wind field. It also assesses the variation of the tower members' internal forces with the downburst parameters. Finally, the structural behaviour of the tower under critical downburst configurations is described and is compared to that resulting from the boundary layer normal wind load conditions.

• Wind and Structures
• /
• v.10 no.4
• /
• pp.315-346
• /
• 2007

A preceding companion article introduced the slot jet approach for large-scale quasi-steady modelling of a downburst outflow. This article extends the approach to model the time-dependent features of the outflow. A two-dimensional slot jet with an actuated gate produces a gust with a dominant roll vortex. Two designs for the gate mechanism are investigated. Hot-wire anemometry velocity histories and profiles are presented. As well, a three-dimensional, subcloud numerical model is used to approximate the downdraft microphysics, and to compute stationary and translating outflows at high resolution. The evolution of the horizontal and vertical velocity components is examined. Comparison of the present experimental and numerical results with field observations is encouraging.

• Wind and Structures
• /
• v.13 no.5
• /
• pp.451-469
• /
• 2010

The majority of weather-related failures of transmission line structures that have occurred in the past have been attributed to high intensity localized wind events, in the form of tornadoes and downbursts. A numerical scheme is developed in the current study to assess the performance of transmission lines under tornado wind load events. The tornado wind field is based on a model scale Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) analysis that was conducted and validated in a previous study. Using field measurements and code specifications, the CFD model data is used to estimate the wind fields for F4 and F2 full scale tornadoes. The wind forces associated with these tornado fields are evaluated and later incorporated into a nonlinear finite element three-dimensional model for the transmission line system, which includes a simulation for the towers and the conductors. A comparison is carried between the forces in the members resulting from the tornadoes, and those obtained using the conventional design wind loads. The study reveals the importance of considering tornadoes when designing transmission line structures.

• Wind and Structures
• /
• v.18 no.5
• /
• pp.473-495
• /
• 2014

Localized wind events, in the form of tornadoes and downbursts, are the main cause of the large number of failure incidents of electrical transmission line structures worldwide. In this study, a numerical model has been developed to study the behaviour of self-supported transmission lines under various tornado events. The tornado wind fields used were based on a full three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics analysis that was developed in an earlier study. A three-dimensional finite element model of an existing self-supported transmission line was developed. The tornado velocity wind fields were then used to predict the forces applied to the modelled transmission line system. A comprehensive parametric study was performed in order to assess the effects of the location of the tornado relative to the transmission line under F2 and F4 tornado wind fields. The study was used to identify critical tornado configurations which can be used when designing transmission line systems. The results were used to assess the sensitivity of the members' axial forces to changes in the location of the tornado relative to the transmission line. The results were then used to explain the behaviour of the transmission line when subjected to the identified critical tornado configurations.

• Atmosphere
• /
• v.33 no.5
• /
• pp.457-475
• /
• 2023

Accurately predicting localized heavy rainfall is challenging without high-resolution mesoscale cloud information in the numerical model's initial field, as precipitation intensity and amount vary significantly across regions. In the Korean Peninsula, the radar observation network covers the entire country, providing high-resolution data on hydrometeors which is suitable for data assimilation (DA). During the pre-processing stage, radar reflectivity is classified into hydrometeors (e.g., rain, snow, graupel) using the background temperature field. The mixing ratio of each hydrometeor is converted and inputted into a numerical model. Moreover, assimilating saturated water vapor mixing ratio and decomposing radar radial velocity into a three-dimensional wind vector improves the atmospheric dynamic field. This study presents radar DA experiments using a numerical prediction model to enhance the wind, water vapor, and hydrometeor mixing ratio information. The impact of radar DA on precipitation prediction is analyzed separately for each radar component. Assimilating radial velocity improves the dynamic field, while assimilating hydrometeor mixing ratio reduces the spin-up period in cloud microphysical processes, simulating initial precipitation growth. Assimilating water vapor mixing ratio further captures a moist atmospheric environment, maintaining continuous growth of hydrometeors, resulting in concentrated heavy rainfall. Overall, the radar DA experiment showed a 32.78% improvement in precipitation forecast accuracy compared to experiments without DA across four cases. Further research in related fields is necessary to improve predictions of mesoscale heavy rainfall in South Korea, mitigating its impact on human life and property.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.17 no.7
• /
• pp.743-753
• /
• 2008

Gwangyang Bay is often severely confronted by photochemical pollutants due to its location and dense emissions. It is located in a basin on the south coast of the Korean peninsula and is crossed by a remarkable cluster of hills and mountains of a small horizontal scale that forms a channel. Clearly, the air flow field has a great influence on the dispersion of air pollutants. The characteristics of the wind flow patterns have an important effect on the dispersion of pollutants emitted. In these situations, the distribution of the ozone concentration is extremely complicated because of the superposition of circulations of the air flow fields, especially in complex coastal region. In this study, we examined the distribution of the high level ozone on Gwangyang Bay particularly during the episode day (for 5 years). Among these days, A high level ozone was induced by the development of a sea/land breeze local circulation system, as well as by an anabatic/catabatic flow from the mountains and valley with weakening of the synoptic wind. High level ozone distribution pattern(6 types) on Gwangyang bay is analyzed and the comparison of each pattern reveals substantial localized differences in intensity and distribution of ozone concentration from the site coherence and UPA analysis of ozone concentration. The observed VOC concentration had much difference in concentrations and daily variations between Jungdong and Samil.

• Atmosphere
• /
• v.21 no.2
• /
• pp.185-196
• /
• 2011

The performance assessment in radiosonde observation on the special observation program (ProbeX-2009) is performed and the characteristics of precipitation using Auto Weather System (AWS) and radiosonde data in 2009 at the Ulleungdo are investigated. The launching time, observation time, and maximum altitude of radiosonde are satisfied with the regulation from Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) and World Meteorological Organization (WMO) but the duration of observational time of radiosonde is much shorter than that of the ProbeX-2007 because the altitude of launching site is higher than others in 2007. From the analysis of trajectories of radiosonde, most radiosondes at the Ulleungdo tend to move into the east because the westerly prevail at the middle latitude. However, when the Okhotsk high is expanded to the Korean peninsula and the north-westerly winds strengthen over the East Sea as the subtropical high is retreated, radiosonde tends to move into the south-west and south-east, respectively. Maximum distance appears at the end of observation level before May but the level of maximum distance is changed into 100 hPa after June because the prevailing wind direction is reversed from westerly to easterly at the stratosphere during summer time. The condition of precipitation was more correlated with the dynamic instability except Changma season. Precipitation in 2009 at the Ulleungdo occurred under the marine climate so that total precipitation amounts and precipitation intensity were increased and intensified during nighttime. The local environment favorable for the precipitation during nighttime was while the wind speed at the surface and the inflow from the shoreline were strengthened. Precipitation events also affected by synoptic condition but the localized effect induced by topography was more strengthened at the northern part of Ulleungdo.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
• /
• v.11 no.4
• /
• pp.192-205
• /
• 2009

The unexpected wind over the Mt. Hwawang on 9 February 2009 was deadly when many spectators were watching a traditional event to burn dried grasses and the fire went out of control due to the wind. We analyzed the fatal wind based on wind flow simulations over a digitized complex terrain of the mountain with a localized heating area using a three dimensional computational fluid dynamics model, CFD_NIMR_SNU (Computational Fluid Dynamics_National Institute of Meteorological Research_Seoul National University). Three levels of fire intensity were simulated: no fire, $300^{\circ}C$ and $600^{\circ}C$ of surface temperature at the site on fire. The surface heat accelerated vertical wind speed by as much as $0.7\;m\;s^{-1}$ (for $300^{\circ}C$) and $1.1\;m\;s^{-1}$ (for $600^{\circ}C$) at the center of the fire. Turbulent kinetic energy was increased by the heat itself and by the increased mechanical force, which in turn was generated by the thermal convection. The heating together with the complex terrain and strong boundary wind induced the unexpected high wind conditions with turbulence at the mountain. The CFD_NIMR_SNU model provided valuable analysis data to understand the consequences of the fatal mountain fire. It is suggested that the place of fire was calm at the time of the fire setting due to the elevated terrain of the windward side. The suppression of wind was easily reversed when there was fire, which caused updraft of hot air by the fire and the strong boundary wind. The strong boundary wind in conjunction with the fire event caused the strong turbulence, resulting in many fire casualties. The model can be utilized in turbulence forecasting over a small area due to surface fire in conjunction with a mesoscale weather model to help fire prevention at the field.