Numerical simulation of wind flow near a forest edge

Abstract

This paper presents a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model to simulate wind flow near a forest edge for the purpose of wind energy applications. The model uses a porous media analogy combined with a modified k – ε turbulence model to simulate momentum losses and turbulence generation within the forest. The momentum losses are represented by a drag coefficient and a leaf area density. Two directions were investigated: wind flow entering and wind flow leaving the forest. A fully developed solution with original boundary conditions was used as the inlet boundary condition in the two-dimensional CFD model for wind flow leaving the forest. Original boundary conditions were also proposed for the ground boundary within the forest. The model was solved using FLUENT 6.2 and validated against field measurements from three different authors. A sensitivity analysis was performed on two key parameters: drag coefficient and leaf area density. The results obtained using the proposed method show good agreement with the wind velocity and turbulence intensity measured experimentally.