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Windbreak Aerodynamics: Is Computational Fluid Dynamics Reliable?

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Abstract

To investigate the suitability of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) with regard to windbreak aerodynamics, simulations are performed with a state-of-the-art numerical scheme (Fluent) and compared against experimental data for two- and three-dimensional disturbances, namely the case of a long straight porous shelter fence and the case of a shelter fence erected in a square about an enclosed plot. A thorough sensitivity study quantifies the impact of numerical choices on the simulation (e.g. grid-point density, domain size, turbulence closure), and leads to guidelines that should ensure objective simulation of windbreak flows. On a fine grid Fluent’s “realizable k–ε closure” gives results that are in qualitative accord with the observed mean winds.

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Correspondence to P. Bourdin.

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Bourdin, P., Wilson, J.D. Windbreak Aerodynamics: Is Computational Fluid Dynamics Reliable?. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 126, 181–208 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10546-007-9229-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10546-007-9229-y

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