Large-Eddy Simulation of Flow Over a Vegetation-Like Canopy Modelled as Arrays of Bluff-Body Elements

Abstract

Turbulent flow over a vegetation canopy under neutral atmospheric conditions is investigated using large-eddy simulation. Each model tree, which consists of a sphere-shaped tree crown and a cylindrical trunk, is fully resolved. The resulting turbulence statistics and the drag force on the vegetation agree well with measurements from the corresponding wind-tunnel experiment described by Bohm et al. (Boundary-Layer Meteorol, 146:393–419, 2013). Statistically, this kind of model canopy exhibits both vegetation and bluff-body-flow characteristics. The time-averaged flow skims over the top of the underlying canopy, forming a low-momentum recirculation zone on the lee-side of the bluff elements, which causes significant dispersive stress within the canopy layer. Two other numerical representations of vegetation canopies, referred to as the drag-element and drag-crown approaches, have also been developed to assess the performance of simulations. Turbulence statistics suggest that the canopy shear layer interferes with wakes behind stems and crowns. The drag-crown approach yields better agreement between numerical results and experimental measurements than does the traditional drag-element approach, thus providing a promising numerical model for simulating canopy turbulence.