Researchers at the International Hurricane Research Center (IHRC), Florida International University (FIU), are working in stages on the construction of a large state-of-the-art Wall of Wind (WoW) facility to support research in the area... more
Researchers at the International Hurricane Research Center (IHRC), Florida International University (FIU), are working in stages on the construction of a large state-of-the-art Wall of Wind (WoW) facility to support research in the area of Wind Engineering. In this paper, the challenges of simulating hurricane winds for the WoW are presented and investigated based on a scale model study. Three wind profiles were simulated using airfoils, and/or adjustable planks mechanism with and without grids. Evaluations of flow characteristics were performed in order to enhance the WoW's flow simulation capabilities. Characteristics of the simulated wind fields are compared to the results obtained from a study using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and also validated via pressure measurements on small-scale models of the Silsoe cube building. Optimal scale of the test model and its optimal distance from the WoW contraction exit are determined - which are two important aspects for testing using an open jet facility such as the WoW. The main objective of this study is to further the understanding of the WoW capabilities and the characteristics of its test section by means of intensive tests and validations at small scale in order to apply this knowledge to the design of the full-scale WoW and for future wind engineering testing.
This literature review on wind power assessment in complex terrain aims on the basis of a selection a broad range of peer-reviewed articles from the last decade to define the main tendencies in the research in the area. Five categories of... more
This literature review on wind power assessment in complex terrain aims on the basis of a selection a broad range of peer-reviewed articles from the last decade to define the main tendencies in the research in the area. Five categories of articles on the subject are identified, these being articles on modelling the wind flow using different techniques and validation of the models, articles on measuring the wind flow using new technology and how this technology performs, articles on experiments conducted in complex terrain, articles on turbulence and atmospheric boundary layer physics, and last but not least articles reviewing the history of research in the area and the state-of-the-art of it. The key findings from the different categories of articles are presented and a status of the research in the area is thereby given. It is concluded that the near future of research on the subject will continue in the direction of developing even higher resolution models of wind flow over complex topography, and that modern wind measurement technologies in the shape of SODARs and LIDARs will be used more widely to assess the wind climate when siting new wind turbines.
This course paper was handed in as an assignment for the course GEOG410 ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENTS at University of Canterbury, New Zealand, 2010
