Development of a micro-in-meso-scale framework for simulating pollutant dispersion and wind environment in building groups

Abstract

Simulation of pollutant dispersion and wind environment is of significant importance to the safety and health of pedestrians and residents. However, the high threshold of data collection and model configuration has hindered its application in the building industry. To address the problem, this paper proposes a Micro-in-Meso-scale (MiM) simulation framework for automatic and foolproof pollutant dispersion and wind environment simulation. The meso-scale Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model is first carried out to obtain city-level meteorology data with sufficient resolution. The micro-scale Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model is then initialized to simulate pollutant dispersion and wind environment in building groups. The two models are coupled where the numerical results of WRF are provided to CFD for the configuration of boundary conditions. Fluid dynamics knowledge and spatial characteristics of building groups are also embedded in the model to lower the threshold of performing atmospheric simulations. A Geographic Information System (GIS)-based data management module is established simultaneously to achieve automatic collection, processing and management of raw data for simulation. The conversion algorithm of GIS data is further implemented to achieve the automatic generation of the CFD domain. Finally, the framework is developed to embed the data module and simulation module, and provide an easy-to-operate environment for building industry personnel. The framework is validated by data of actual building groups in four major cities in China. The test results illustrate the efficiency and feasibility of the platform. The study is expected to enhance the application of wind environment simulation in building industries.