Increase Of Mean Wind Speed Research Articles

Modelling wind speed across Zambia: Implications for wind energy

AbstractWind energy is a key option in global dialogues about climate change mitigation. Here, we combined observations from surface wind stations, reanalysis datasets, and state‐of‐the‐art regional climate models from the Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX Africa) to study the current and future wind energy potential in Zambia. We found that winds are dominated by southeasterlies and are rarely strong with an average speed of 2.8 m·s−1. When we converted the observed surface wind speed to a turbine hub height of 100 m, we found a ~38% increase in mean wind speed for the period 1981–2000. Further, both simulated and observed wind speed data show statistically significant increments across much of the country. The only areas that divert from this upward trend of wind speeds are the low land terrains of the Eastern Province bordering Malawi. Examining projections of wind power density (WPD), we found that although wind speed is increasing, it is still generally too weak to support large‐scale wind power generation. We found a meagre projected annual average WPD of 46.6 W·m−2. The highest WPDs of ~80 W·m−2 are projected in the northern and central parts of the country while the lowest are to be expected along the Luangwa valley in agreement with wind speed simulations. On average, Zambia is expected to experience minor WPD increments of 0.004 W·m−2 per year from 2031 to 2050. We conclude that small‐scale wind turbines that accommodate cut‐in wind speeds of 3.8 m·s−1 are the most suitable for power generation in Zambia. Further, given the limitations of small wind turbines, they are best suited for rural and suburban areas of the country where obstructions are few, thus making them ideal for complementing the government of the Republic of Zambia's rural electrification efforts.

Characteristics of Typhoon “Fung-Wong” Near Earth Pulsation

To study the wind field characteristics near the ground pulsation in typhoon conditions, wind field conditions in the area affected by Typhoon “Fung-Wong” were monitored using wind field instruments installed in the construction building of Wenzhou University, China. Real-time wind field data were collected during typhoons. Wind characteristic parameters such as mean wind speed, wind direction angle, turbulence intensity, gust factor, peak factor, coherence function, and autocorrelation were analyzed, and the wind field characteristics during the typhoon were summarized. The results indicated that the longitudinal and lateral turbulence intensities decreased with an increase in the mean wind speed, and there was an obvious linear relationship between them. The vertical and horizontal gust factor and peak factor decreased with an increase in mean wind speed, and the trend was more obvious in the horizontal direction. There was a significant correlation between the gust factor and the peak factor. The turbulence intensity and gust factor decreased with time, and the turbulence intensity attenuation speed increased with time. The empirical curve presented by Davenport (1961) can simulate the correlation characteristics of the fluctuating wind speed components of Typhoon Fung-Wong at some measuring points. With an increase in the time difference, the dependence of the instantaneous values at the two time points gradually decreased.

Wind Characteristics Investigation on The Roofs of Three Adjacent High-Rise Buildings in a Coastal Area during Typhoon Meranti

This paper presents the study of the pulsating characteristics of three adjacent high-rise buildings A, B, and C under typhoon ‘Moranti’ (2016) based on the measurement of the actual top wind speed. The studied pulsating characteristics included mean wind speed and direction, turbulence intensity, gust factor, turbulence integral scale, wind speed spectrum and correlation. The relationships between each pulsating parameter and the relationship between the pulsating parameter and gust duration have been investigated. Results show that the mean wind speed and wind direction of three buildings are close. When U ≥ 10 m/s in three different sites at the same time, the turbulence intensity variation of three buildings is consistent and decreases when mean wind speed increases. Once only two locations are acquired simultaneously and the wind angle between 35° and 45°, the mean values of the along-wind and cross-wind turbulence of building A and building C are close. The along-wind turbulence of the three buildings is greater than the predicted Chinese codes for various terrains. The turbulence intensity and gust factors obtained through the analysis of the samples with the mean wind speed U ≥ 10 m/s are reasonable. The turbulence integral scales of buildings A and C are equal to the predicted values of ASCE-7 and AIJ-2004, whereas the turbulent integral scale of building B is evidently small. The gust factors of three buildings increase when the turbulence intensity increases; these two characteristics have a linear relationship. At the same time interval, building B has the maximum along-wind turbulence intensity and gust factors during the low wind speed period and building C achieves the minimum values. Building A acquires the maximum and building C obtains the minimum values in the high wind speed period. The turbulence intensity and gust factors of building B show a certain pulsation. Results show that turbulence intensity and gust factors are mainly affected by the short-term fluctuation of wind. The longitudinal wind speed spectrum of three buildings conforms well to the von Karman model. The correlation of along-wind speed depends on the wind speed, whereas the correlation of cross-wind direction is independent of wind speeds. The measured data and statistical parameters provide useful information for the wind resistance design of high-rise buildings in typhoon-prone areas.

Dynamical Downscaling of Climate Change Impacts on Wind Energy Resources in the Contiguous United States by Using a Limited-Area Model with Scale-Selective Data Assimilation

By using a limited-area model (LAM) in combination with the scale-selective data assimilation (SSDA) approach, wind energy resources in the contiguous United States (CONUS) were downscaled from IPCC CCSM3 global model projections for both current and future climate conditions. An assessment of climate change impacts on wind energy resources in the CONUS region was then conducted. Based on the downscaling results, when projecting into future climate under IPCC’s A1B scenario, the average annual wind speed experiences an overall shift across the CONUS region. From the current climate to the 2040s, the average annual wind speed is expected to increase from 0.1 to 0.2 m s−1over the Great Plains, Northern Great Lakes Region, and Southwestern United States located southwest of the Rocky Mountains. When projecting into the 2090s from current climate, there is an overall increase in the Great Plains Region and Southwestern United States located southwest of the Rockies with a mean wind speed increase between 0 and 0.1 m s−1, while, the Northern Great Lakes Region experiences an even greater increase from current climate to 2090s than over the first few decades with an increase of mean wind speed from 0.1 to 0.4 m s−1.

Long-term monitoring of wind characteristics at Sutong Bridge site

The Sutong Bridge is vulnerable to Pacific typhoons since it is located in the east coastal area of China. Therefore, the dynamic action on the bridge induced by the turbulence wind needs special consideration. In order to obtain the turbulent characteristics at the bridge site, 3D ultrasonic anemometers are included in the Structural Health Monitoring System (SHMS) to collect wind data. In this paper, the recorded real-time wind data are analyzed in detail to generate the wind-rose diagram, mean wind speed and direction, turbulence intensity, turbulence integral scale, and power spectral density. Comparative analyses are then conducted among the inhomogeneous wind characteristics of three strong wind events, including the Northern wind, Typhoon Kalmaegi and Typhoon Fung-Wong. In addition, calculated wind characteristic values and those recommended in the current design specification are compared. Results show that turbulence intensities decrease as the mean wind speed increases, except in the area with the superposition of general winds and typhoons. Meanwhile, turbulence intensities of the typhoons are different from the values recommended by the current design specification. In addition, the measured power spectra in the along-wind direction match relatively well with the Kaimal spectra, whereas in the vertical direction, apparent deviations can be witnessed. The conclusions can be used to determine the wind parameters of the east coastal area of China, and as references for wind-resistant evaluation of bridges in the area.

Species interaction and response to wind speed alter the impact of projected temperature change in a montane ecosystem

Question: How does an improved understanding of species interactions, combined with an additional ecological variable (wind speed), alter the projected vegetation response to variation in altitudinal temperature? Location: Cairngorm Mountains, Scotland. Methods: Montane heathland vegetation was sampled from 144 plots (432 quadrats) comprising eight altitudinal transects. Ordination by partial DCA and path analysis was used to confirm: (1) the effect of wind speed and altitude (≈ temperature) on vegetation structure, i.e. canopy height and cover of bare ground, and (2) the control of arctic/alpine macrolichen occurrence by vegetation structure. Nested regression analysis was used to project the response of vegetation structure and lichen occurrence to temperature change scenarios with and without a step-wise change in future wind speed. Results: Warming trends shifted vegetation zones upwards, with a subsequent loss of suitable habitat for arctic/alpine lichens. However, incorporating wind speed as an additional explanatory variable had an important modifying effect on the vegetation response to temperature: decreasing wind speed exaggerates the effects of increased temperature and vice versa. Our models suggest that for the wind-driven heath examined, a 20% increase in mean wind speed may negate the effect of increased temperature on vegetation structure, resulting in no net change in lichen occurrence. Conclusions: We caution that an improved understanding of species interactions in vegetation response models may force the consideration of locally variable environmental parameters (e.g. wind speed), bringing into question the predicted vegetation response based on standard projections of temperature change along altitudinal gradients.

Measurement study on wind characteristics of Typhoon Kalmaegi on the sutong bridge

The Sutong Bridge, a cable-stayed located in the southeast coastal area of China, is vulnerable to the Pacific typhoons. From the data measured by two 3D ultrasonic anemometers at the height of 76 m and 306 m, the wind characteristics (including 10-minute mean wind speed and direction, turbulence intensity and gust factor, power spectral density and integral scale of turbulence) of Typhoon Kalmaegi are analyzed The comparison of 10-minute mean wind velocity from the two anemometers validates the reliability of wind data. The turbulence intensities (Iu, Iv, and Iw) show the decreasing trend as the mean wind speed increases. The mean value of Iv/Iu is 0.94, while that of Iw/Iu is 0.90. Discrepancy exists between field-measured power spectra and code-suggested spectra. Those results can enlarge the wind database of the southeast coastal area of China, and provide references for wind resistance evaluation of the bridge.

Modelling of concentrations along a moving observer in an inhomogeneous plume. Biological application: model of odour-mediated insect flights

We develop a stochastic model for the time-evolution of scalar concentrations and temporal gradients in concentration experienced by observers moving within inhomogeneous plumes that are dispersing within turbulent flows. In this model, scalar concentrations and their gradients evolve jointly as a Markovian process. Underlying the model formulation is a natural generalisation of Thomson’s well mixed condition [Thomson DJ (1987) J Fluid Mech 180:529–556]. As a consequence model outputs are necessarily compatible with statistical properties of scalars observed in experiment that are used here as model input. We then use the model to examine how insects aloft within the atmospheric boundary-layer can locate odour sources by modulating their flight patterns in response to odour cues. Mechanisms underlying odour-mediated flights have been studied extensively at laboratory-scale but an understanding of these flights over landscape scales is still lacking. Insect flights are simulated by combining the stochastic model with a simple model of insect olfactory response. These simulations show the strong influence of wind speed on the distributions of the times taken by insects to locate the source. In accordance with experimental observations [Baker TC, Vickers NJ (1997) In: Insect pheromone research: new directions, pp 248–264; Mafra-Neto A, Carde RT (1994) Nature 369:142–144], flight patterns are predicted to become straighter and shorter, and source location is predicted to become more likely as the mean wind speed increases. The most probable arrival time to the source decreases with the mean wind speed. It is shown that scale-free movement patterns arising from olfactory-driven foraging stem directly from the power-law distribution of concentration excursion times above/below a threshold level and are robust with respect to variations in Reynolds number. Flight lengths are well represented by a power law distribution in agreement with the observed patterns of foraging bumblebees [Heinrich B (1979) Oecologia 40(3):235–245].

Reduced drag coefficient for high wind speeds in tropical cyclones.

The transfer of momentum between the atmosphere and the ocean is described in terms of the variation of wind speed with height and a drag coefficient that increases with sea surface roughness and wind speed. But direct measurements have only been available for weak winds; momentum transfer under extreme wind conditions has therefore been extrapolated from these field measurements. Global Positioning System sondes have been used since 1997 to measure the profiles of the strong winds in the marine boundary layer associated with tropical cyclones. Here we present an analysis of these data, which show a logarithmic increase in mean wind speed with height in the lowest 200 m, maximum wind speed at 500 m and a gradual weakening up to a height of 3 km. By determining surface stress, roughness length and neutral stability drag coefficient, we find that surface momentum flux levels off as the wind speeds increase above hurricane force. This behaviour is contrary to surface flux parameterizations that are currently used in a variety of modelling applications, including hurricane risk assessment and prediction of storm motion, intensity, waves and storm surges.

The effect of small embankments on wind speeds

Full-scale measurements have been made to determine the increase in wind speed over two exposed embankments, one of <TEX>$23^{\circ}$</TEX> slope and 4.7 m in height, the other of <TEX>$24^{\circ}$</TEX> slope and 7.3 m in height. Measurements were made at heights of 5, 10 and 15 m above the upper edge of each embankment and at the same heights approximately 100 m upwind in the lower-level approach fetch. Despite the modest sizes of the embankments, the maximum recorded increase in mean wind speed was 28% and the minimum was 13%; these increase relate to increases in wind loads on structures erected at the top of the embankments of 64% and 28% respectively. The associated increases in gust speeds are estimated at 33% and 18%, which imply increases in gust loading of 77% and 39% respectively. These experimental results are compared with predictions obtained from a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis, using three high Reynolds number eddy-viscosity models and estimates from the UK wind loading code, BS 6399: Part 2. The CFD results are generally in agreement with the experimental data, although near-ground effects on the embankment crest are poorly reproduced.

Flutter responses in long span bridges with wind induced displacement by the mode tracing method

Abstract The problem of flutter prediction for the complex 3D, finite element model of a long span bridge has been addressed. Based on a reasonable assumption that the vibration mode does not change abruptly for a gradual increase in the wind speed, a numerical, mode-iteration scheme is proposed. The method is like tracing the system complex mode when the mean wind speed increases; therefore could be used to describe the dynamic behavior before flutter as well. By iteration in function of the mean wind, its effect and the change in the structure configuration and stress can be easily incorporated into the calculation. The final result is thus closer to the reality. The flutter behavior and flutter modes from the mode tracing method can also be used for the buffeting analysis. Once the complex modes and complex modal forces are known, the modal equation can be formed and a time history integration can be carried out to determine the buffeting responses. A numerical example based on the full model bridge has been conducted and compared with the data of experiments on 3D model in a wind tunnel. The results obtained have shown that the method is accurate and computationally efficient among the full model analysis methods.

Large‐eddy simulation of small‐scale surface effects on the convective boundary‐layer structure

Abstract The effects of small‐scale surface inhomogeneities on the turbulence structure in the convective boundary layer are investigated using a high‐resolution large‐eddy simulation model. Surface heat flux variations are sinusoidal and two‐dimensional, dividing the total domain into a checkerboard‐like pattern of surface hot spots with a 500‐m wavelength in the x and y directions, or 1/4 of the domain size. The selected wind speeds were 1 and 4 m s‐l, respectively. As a comparison, a simulation of the turbulence structure was performed over a homogeneous surface. When the wind speed is light, surface heat flux variations influence the horizontally averaged turbulence statistics, including the higher moments despite the small characteristic length of the surface perturbation. Stronger mean wind speeds weaken the effects of inhomogeneous surface conditions on the turbulence structure in the convective boundary layer. Results from conditional sampling show that when the mean wind speed is small, weak mean circulations occur, with updraft branches above the high heat flux regions and down‐draft branches above the low heat flux regions. The inhomogeneous surface induces significant differences in the turbulence statistics between the high and low heat flux regions. However, the effect of the surface perturbations weaken rapidly when the mean wind speed increases. This research has implications in the explanation of the large‐scale variability commonly encountered in aircraft observations of atmospheric turbulence.

TSUNAMI PRONE FRICTION FACTORS FROM WIND MEASUREMENTS

The long wave equations, used for tsunami run-up and flood wave calculations, have an unknown friction term. As an alternative to hydraulically determined friction factors, an adjustable three-level anemometer staff system is used for making wind profile measurements over typical Hawaii terrain. Results from measurements taken during trade wind conditions are given for three types of terrain: (1) golf course, (2) large flat knoll covered with 2 to 2 1/2 feet tall grass thin to medium dense, and (3) a large rock farm covered with several layers of stone 2 1/2 to 3 feet or more in diameter. Average values of Manning's "n" determined approximately from the von Karman friction length, n = .06 z ' vary from 0.028 over the golf course, 0.046 over the grass knoll, and 0.051 over the rock farm. The top level anemometer for both systems is at elevation 10.6 meters (35.8 feet) and the remaining anemometers are equally spaced on the log scale, with the bottom level anemometer at 1.3 meters (4.28 feet) above the support base. We are presently repeating the experiments using an adjustable five-level anemometer staff system. It is pointed out that the results obtained from wind experiments have not yet been correlated with hydraulic experiments, and it is known that the friction factor decreases with increase in the Froude number, given by F = V//gR, where V is the mean velocity over the vertical distance of the hydraulic radius, R. The question seems to be, what is the equivalent hydraulic radius for the adiabatic atmosphere that would give the same friction factor for the same roughness for the von Karman velocity profile in hydraulic experiments? The wind experiments do show that there is a tendency for the friction factor to decrease with increase of mean wind speed. It would be of scientific interest to determine an equivalent hydraulic radius for wind profile experiments, making it possible to correlate the data with hydraulic experiments. This needs further investigation.

The cooling power of wind and its influence on human comfort in upland areas of Britain

Atmospheric cooling power is determined by ambient temperatures and wind speed. In upland areas, the decrease of mean temperature and increase of mean wind speed with altitude will greatly exacerbate the effect of atmospheric cooling. Using data from seven locations in upland Britain, an investigation has been made of the probability of occurrence of specified cooling rates for hourly and daily periods. A physically-based model was used to calculate the thickness of clothing required to maintain the human body in thermal equilibrium for given wind speeds and temperatures.

Microscale pressure fluctuations near waves being generated by the wind

Measurements of static pressure and wave height are used to describe the waveinduced pressure field above generating sea waves. A large hump in the pressure spectra is observed at the wave frequencies. The amplitude of this hump increases and the rate of its vertical decay decreases as the mean wind speed increases. The phase difference between the pressure and the waves during active generation is about 135°, pressure lagging the waves, and does not change vertically for measurements at heights greater than the wave crests. In the present data, active wave generation appears to occur only when the wind at a height of 5 metres is greater than or about equal to twice the phase speed of the waves.

Effects of an Artificial Sea Slick upon the Atmosphere and the Ocean

Abstract Vertical mean wind profiles, hot-film data, and wave height data measured during the passage of an artificial sea slick are compared with similar measurements without a sea slick. The effects of the slick are modifications of profile roughness length z0, and a possible increase in mean wind speed. Power spectral density plots of wave records obtained before, during and after the slick show wave energy modifications for wavelengths up to 10 m. Coherence values computed from a cross-spectral density of the wind field and simultaneously measured wave field both during and after the slick demonstrate the importance of small waves to air-sea interaction processes. Phase angles indicate the maximum horizontal velocity occurs over the wave trough for all spectral components, some of which are above and some below the wind-wave “matched layer.” During a stick, however, the horizontal velocity maximum occurs over the wave crest for those waves remaining coherent with the wind field.