Numerical investigation of the blockage effect of trees on airflow distributions in a wind tunnel

Wind environment is closely related to people's lives and has a great influence on the comfort and safety of the environment. This research examines the influence of trees on wind environment in pedestrian-level. By integrating the theories of CFD simulation method and trees benefits, six canopy morphologies (Spheroid, Cone, Inverted Cone, Cylinder, Ellipsoid, Cuboid) models are proposed and validated. The PHOENICS is used for numerical simulation (144 scenarios), and the data are analyzed using Photoshop and linear regression model. It is found that the influence of trees on wind is linearly correlated with the varying crown width, trunk height and plant spacing. The influence of tree on wind velocity can be expressed by IFwind (the wind reducing ability) and AZ (the area of downwind deceleration zones). The framework and the numerical simulation in this paper are intended to support and guide future studies of wind comfort and wind safety of trees in pedestrian-level, and to contribute to improved wind environmental quality in urban areas through reasonable tree planting.

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Airflow Modeling for Citrus under Protective Screens

Kurafeeva,

Wolski,

Krintz

et al. 2024

Sensors

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This study explores the development and validation of an airflow model to support climate prediction for Citrus Under Protective Screens (CUPS) in California. CUPS is a permeable screen structure designed to protect a field of citrus trees from large insects including the vector that causes the devastating citrus greening disease. Because screen structures modify the environmental conditions (e.g., temperature, relative humidity, airflow), farm management and treatment strategies (e.g., pesticide spraying events) must be modified to account for these differences. Toward this end, we develop a model for predicting wind speed and direction in a commercial-scale research CUPS, using a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model. We describe the model and validate it in two ways. In the first, we model a small-scale replica CUPS under controlled conditions and compare modeled and measured airflow in and around the replica structure. In the second, we model the full-scale CUPS and use historical measurements to “back test” the model’s accuracy. In both settings, the modeled airflow values fall within statistical confidence intervals generated from the corresponding measurements of the conditions being modeled. These findings suggest that the model can aid decision support and smart agriculture solutions for farmers as they adapt their farm management practices for CUPS structures.

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Numerical investigation of the blockage effect of trees on airflow distributions in a wind tunnel

Cited by 3 publications

References 63 publications

Evaluation of the influence of traditional village square layout factors on wind comfort

Evaluation of the influence of traditional village square layout factors on wind comfort

Predicting the influence of trees on wind environment in pedestrian-level through numerical simulation

Airflow Modeling for Citrus under Protective Screens

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