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Large-Eddy Simulation Study of Thermally Stratified Canopy Flow

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Abstract

A number of large-eddy simulations (LES) are performed for the calculation of the airflow over a horizontally homogeneous forest canopy for a wide range of thermal stability classes. For the first time, results from LES of a stably stratified canopy are also presented. Simulation results compare favourably to recent field measurements over a pine forest in south-eastern Sweden. The simple heat source model was found to perform adequately and to yield within-canopy heat-flux profiles typically observed for stable conditions in the field. Evidence was found for a layer of unstably stratified air in the canopy trunk space under stable stratification. The importance of a secondary wind-speed maximum is emphasized in stable conditions. Examination of the budget equation of turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) revealed that, during stable stratification, pressure transport plays an increasingly important role in supplying the canopy region with TKE.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are thankful to Johan Arnqvist (Uppsala University), Ebba Dellwik (DTU) and Hans Bergström (Uppsala University) for providing the field data. This project is financed through the Swedish Wind Power Technology Centre (SWPTC). SWPTC is a research centre for the design of wind turbines. The purpose of the centre is to support Swedish industry with knowledge of design techniques as well as maintenance in the field of wind power. The Centre is funded by the Swedish Energy Agency, Chalmers University of Technology as well as academic and industrial partners.

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  1. Department of Applied Mechanics, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden

    Bastian Nebenführ & Lars Davidson

  2. Swedish Wind Power Technology Centre (SWPTC), Gothenburg, Sweden

    Bastian Nebenführ & Lars Davidson

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  1. Bastian Nebenführ
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Correspondence to Bastian Nebenführ.

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Nebenführ, B., Davidson, L. Large-Eddy Simulation Study of Thermally Stratified Canopy Flow. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 156, 253–276 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10546-015-0025-9

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