A review of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of the wind flow around buildings for urban wind energy exploitation

Toja-Silva, Francisco; Kono, Toru; Peralta, C.; López-García, Óscar; Chen, Jia

doi:10.1016/j.jweia.2018.07.010

Cited by 115 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 94 publications

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“…Since the 2000s, interest in installing small wind turbines (SWTs) in the built environment has been growing [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]. Wind conditions in the built environment are complex in nature and are characterized by lower wind speeds and higher turbulence because of the presence of obstructions [8,9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Performance Characteristics of an Orthopter-Type Vertical Axis Wind Turbine in Shear Flows

2020

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To properly conduct a micro-siting of an orthopter-type vertical axis wind turbine (O-VAWT) in the built environment, this study investigated the effects of horizontal shear flow on the power performance characteristics of an O-VAWT by performing wind tunnel experiments and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. A uniform flow and two types of shear flow (advancing side faster shear flow (ASF-SF) and retreating side faster shear flow (RSF-SF)) were employed as the approaching flow to the O-VAWT. The ASF-SF had a higher velocity on the advancing side of the rotor. The RSF-SF had a higher velocity on the retreating side of the rotor. For each type of shear flow, three shear strengths (Γ = 0.28, 0.40 and 0.51) were set. In the ASF-SF cases, the power coefficients (Cp) were significantly higher than the uniform flow case at all tip speed ratios (λ) and increased with Γ. In the RSF-SF cases, CP increased with Γ. However, when Γ = 0.28, the CP was lower than the uniform flow case at all λ. When Γ = 0.51, the CP was higher than the uniform flow case except at low λ; however, it was lower than the ASF-SF case with Γ = 0.28. The causes of the features of CP were discussed through the analysis of the variation of blade torque coefficient, its rotor-revolution component and its blade-rotation component with azimuthal angle by using the CFD results for flow fields (i.e., horizontal velocity vectors, pressure and vorticity). These results indicate that a location where ASF-SFs with high Γ values dominantly occur is ideal for installing the O-VAWT.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Performance Characteristics of an Orthopter-Type Vertical Axis Wind Turbine in Shear Flows

2020

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“…Key to a good positioning strategy is through predicting flows in the urban environment [2,3]. However, simulations specifically tailored to assess the wind energy resource have only been conducted in a handful of studies, all reviewed in a recent significant paper [4]. Of the studies focusing on the wind energy resource, only 18% deals with a realistic urban setup, and 10% is conducted using Large Eddy Simulations (LES) [4], a numerical technique able to solve the inertial scales of turbulent flows.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, simulations specifically tailored to assess the wind energy resource have only been conducted in a handful of studies, all reviewed in a recent significant paper [4]. Of the studies focusing on the wind energy resource, only 18% deals with a realistic urban setup, and 10% is conducted using Large Eddy Simulations (LES) [4], a numerical technique able to solve the inertial scales of turbulent flows. Most research implements Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) models to predict wind conditions found in urban areas [4].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Of the studies focusing on the wind energy resource, only 18% deals with a realistic urban setup, and 10% is conducted using Large Eddy Simulations (LES) [4], a numerical technique able to solve the inertial scales of turbulent flows. Most research implements Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) models to predict wind conditions found in urban areas [4]. In fact, only a single study has specifically modelled urban winds for wind energy harvesting purposes using LES over a non-uniform array of cubes [5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Role of Inflow Turbulence and Surrounding Buildings on Large Eddy Simulations of Urban Wind Energy

et al. 2020

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Predicting flow patterns that develop on the roof of high-rise buildings is critical for the development of urban wind energy. In particular, the performance and reliability of devices largely depends on the positioning strategy, a major unresolved challenge. This work aims at investigating the effect of variations in the turbulent inflow and the geometric model on the flow patterns that develop on the roof of tall buildings in the realistic configuration of the University of Birmingham’s campus in the United Kingdom (UK). Results confirm that the accuracy of Large Eddy Simulation (LES) predictions is only marginally affected by differences in the inflow mean wind speed and turbulence intensity, provided that turbulence is not absent. The effect of the presence of surrounding buildings is also investigated and found to be marginal to the results if the inflow is turbulent. The integral length scale is the parameter most affected by the turbulence characteristics of the inflow, while gustiness is only marginally influenced. This work will contribute to LES applications on the urban wind resource and their computational setup simplification.

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“…Simoes and Estanqueiro [21] presented an urban digital terrain model for urban wind resource assessment in city scale by mapping urban fabric and surrounding terrain. Toja-Silva et al [22] presented a review on technical computational fluid dynamics (CFD) aspects relevant for urban wind energy exploitation and the current state-of-the-art in building aerodynamics applied to this field.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Urban Wind Energy Evaluation with Urban Morphology

Wang¹

2020

Modeling, Simulation and Optimization of Wind Farms and Hybrid Systems

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Urban wind development is gathering energy and passion these years and is good for sustainable cities. This chapter tries to evaluate wind energy potential with study of urban form in a block scale (500 m Â 500 m). CFD method is used for wind flow simulation. CFD parameter settings were validated and evaluated with wind tunnel experiment. Simple building forms (1-3 buildings) were tested for exploring the impact of building form on wind potential. Space over roof is proved to be most effective and practical position for developing wind energy in the urban environment. Ideal urban forms were tested for evaluating the impact of one single morphological parameter on wind potential over roof. Real urban forms were then evaluated and compared in order to reveal the impact of different urban form parameter on wind potential. Urban form unit models are then considered to understand the impact of a certain urban form feature on wind potential. Finally, a block model in Beijing is given for urban wind evaluation case study, including wind potential evaluation of every building roof in the model, wind turbine position evaluation, and economical cost analysis.

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A review of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of the wind flow around buildings for urban wind energy exploitation

Cited by 115 publications

References 94 publications

Performance Characteristics of an Orthopter-Type Vertical Axis Wind Turbine in Shear Flows

Performance Characteristics of an Orthopter-Type Vertical Axis Wind Turbine in Shear Flows

Role of Inflow Turbulence and Surrounding Buildings on Large Eddy Simulations of Urban Wind Energy

Urban Wind Energy Evaluation with Urban Morphology

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