Variation Of Turbulence Intensity Research Articles

Numerical Study on the Influence of Inlet Turbulence Intensity on Turbine Cascades

The turbulence intensity of the high-pressure turbine inlet plays an important role in the development of secondary flow and boundary layer evolution in the turbine passage. Unfortunately, current research often overlooks the coupling effect between boundary layer separation and endwall secondary flow, and lacks comprehensive exploration of loss variation. To complement existing research, this study utilizes numerical simulation techniques to investigate the evolution of the boundary layer and secondary flow in high-pressure turbine cascades under varying turbulence intensities, with experimental research results as the basis. Furthermore, the relationship between profile loss and endwall secondary flow loss is analyzed. The research results indicate that higher turbulence intensity can enhance the anti-separation ability of the boundary layer, thereby reducing the blade profile loss caused by separation in the boundary layer. However, higher turbulence intensities (Tu) enhance the development of secondary flow within the cascade, leading to a significant increase in secondary flow losses. Q-criterion methods are employed to display the vortex structures within the passage, while loss decomposition is leveraged to uncover the variations of different losses under different turbulence intensities (Tu of 1% and 6%).With the exception of a minor decrease in total pressure loss (Yp) when Tu increases from 1% to 2%, Yp demonstrates a substantial increase in all other cases with increasing Tu. Additionally, this study explains why the loss of high-pressure turbine cascades shows a trend of first increasing and then decreasing with the increase in inlet turbulence intensity.

A Study on the Effect of Turbulence Intensity on Dual Vertical-Axis Wind Turbine Aerodynamic Performance

Examining dual vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWTs) across various turbulence scenarios is crucial for advancing the efficiency of urban energy generation and promoting sustainable development. This study introduces a novel approach by employing two-dimensional numerical analysis through computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software to investigate the performance of VAWTs under varying turbulence intensity conditions, a topic that has been relatively unexplored in existing research. The analysis focuses on the self-starting capabilities and the effective utilization of wind energy, which are key factors in urban wind turbine deployment. The results reveal that while the impact of increased turbulence intensity on the self-starting performance of VAWTs is modest, there is a significant improvement in wind energy utilization within a specific turbulence range, leading to an average power increase of 1.41%. This phenomenon is attributed to the more complex flow field induced by heightened turbulence intensity, which delays the onset of dynamic stall through non-uniform aerodynamic excitation of the blade boundary layer. Additionally, the inherent interaction among VAWTs contributes to enhanced turbine output power. However, this study also highlights the trade-off between increased power and the potential for significant fatigue issues in the turbine rotor. These findings provide new insights into the optimal deployment of VAWTs in urban environments, offering practical recommendations for maximizing energy efficiency while mitigating fatigue-related risks.

Atmospheric Turbulence Phase Reconstruction via Deep Learning Wavefront Sensing.

The fast and accurate reconstruction of the turbulence phase is crucial for compensating atmospheric disturbances in free-space coherent optical communication. Traditional methods suffer from slow convergence and inadequate phase reconstruction accuracy. This paper introduces a deep learning-based approach for atmospheric turbulence phase reconstruction, utilizing light intensity images affected by turbulence as the basis for feature extraction. The method employs extensive light intensity-phase samples across varying turbulence intensities for training, enabling phase reconstruction from light intensity images. The trained U-Net model reconstructs phases for strong, medium, and weak turbulence with an average processing time of 0.14 s. Simulation outcomes indicate an average loss function value of 0.00027 post-convergence, with a mean squared error of 0.0003 for individual turbulence reconstructions. Experimental validation yields a mean square error of 0.0007 for single turbulence reconstruction. The proposed method demonstrates rapid convergence, robust performance, and strong generalization, offering a novel solution for atmospheric disturbance correction in free-space coherent optical communication.

Investigation of three-dimensional wake width for offshore wind turbines under complex environmental conditions by large eddy simulation

Abstract The wake of wind turbines is a main concern for offshore wind farms, in which the wake width is a key index and needs to be accurately predicted. However, the existing wake width models have shortcomings in predicting the wake of wind turbines in different offshore environments. In view of this, large eddy simulation (LES) is adopted to simulate offshore wind turbines under various environmental conditions. The analyses show that there are evident differences in wake widths between horizontal and vertical directions. The variations of turbulence intensity and wind speed in the environment have significant effects on the wake width. By fitting the simulation results, a three-dimensional (3-D) wake width model is proposed to predict the wake widths in horizontal and vertical directions, which considers the effects of lateral and vertical turbulence intensities on the wake width in different directions, and uses the thrust coefficient to reflect the effect of wind speed. The proposed 3-D model is then compared with existing models through test cases, indicating that it is more accurate in predicting wake widths in horizontal and vertical directions under different environmental conditions, meanwhile shows good applicability in complex offshore environments.

Exploring the Power & Loads Paradigm: Tocha Farm Case Study

Wind energy plays a vital role in the European Union’s decarbonization and electrification efforts. The present study addresses wind farm control strategies exploring the design space of optimal solutions and understanding how these solutions vary when different objectives and meteorological scenarios are considered. The goal is to bridge the gap in existing literature by avoiding the simplification of the multi-objective optimization problem into single-objective using the weights method. This method was not chosen due to its various limitations, particularly its inability to deal with non-convex Pareto fronts. Instead, in this work, a multiobjective optimization method is adopted that overcomes these constraints and offers a set of solutions (the Pareto front) where the decision maker selects the most suitable solution. The methodology involves four main steps: flow calculation using FLORIS, aerodynamic load calculation with CCBlade, conversion of loads into damage equivalent moments (DEM), and multi-objective optimization using a direct multi-search (DMS) algorithm. By exploring various objectives, such as power and fatigue loads at different components, and different wind turbines, this study aims to explore the design space and quantify the potential improvement in terms of the defined cost-functions. The study utilizes data from Tocha Wind Farm in Portugal, that comprises five VESTAS wind turbines. Strain gauges, accelerometers, and meteorological measurements are used for data collection. Simulations under ‘greedy control’, where a turbine is affected by a wake, are compared with campaign data, considering a fixed wind speed and varying turbulence intensity. The optimization reveals Pareto-optimal strategies and the respective optimal yaw angles. Considering a wind velocity of 8 m.s −1 and a wind direction of 308°, power may improve up to 4.6%, and the blade root DEM and tower base DEM up to 5.7% and 84%, respectively. The study highlights the impact of considering multiple objectives and supports the selection of wind farm control strategies to effectively manage critical structural components, thereby extending the lifespan of the wind farm.

Reducing the contaminant dispersion and infection risks in the train cabins by adjusting the inlet turbulence intensity: A study based on turbulence simulation

Existing studies on ventilation in closed spaces mainly considered the average inlet velocity and ignored the influence of inlet turbulent fluctuation. However, the variation in inlet turbulence intensity (TI) is considerable and significantly affects the dispersion of contaminants. This study conducts numerical simulations verified by experiments to investigate the effect of the inlet TI on train contaminants dispersion and analyze infection probability variation. Firstly, the unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) method and improved delayed detached eddy simulation (IDDES) method are compared in simulating the internal airflow characteristics based on the on-site measurement. The results indicate that the latter dominates in capturing airflow pulsations more than the former, although the mean airflow results obtained from both methods agree well with experimental results. Furthermore, the IDDES method is employed to investigate the effect of the inlet TI on contaminant dispersion, and the infection risks are also assessed using the improved probability model. The results show that, with the increase of TI from 5 % to 30 %, the contaminant removal grows considerably, with the removal index rising from 0.23 to 1.86. The increased TI leads to the overall and local infection risks of occupants descending significantly, wherein the former decreases from 1.53 % to 0.88 % with a reduction rate of 42 %, and the latter drops from 3.30 % to 2.16 % with a mitigation rate of 35 %. The findings can serve as solid guidelines for numerical method selection in accurately capturing the indoor dynamic airflow distribution and for the ventilation parameters design regarding TI inside trains to mitigate the airborne infection risk.

Numerical study on cooling performance and thermal stress characteristic of an f-class gas turbine stator blade

In this study, a coupled numerical computation approach integrating aerothermal and thermomechanical effects was employed to investigate the cooling efficiency and thermal stress characteristics of gas turbine stator blades. A comprehensive analysis was conducted considering varying turbulence intensities in the coolant flow (spanning from 0.05 to 0.15) and different coolant media configurations, including pure air, dual-medium mixture of air and steam, and pure steam. The distributional traits of cooling efficiency and thermal stress on the stator blade surface under these conditions were meticulously examined. Furthermore, quantitative assessments were performed to determine the extentto which coolant turbulence intensity and coolant type affect the average cooling efficiency and maximum equivalent thermal stress of turbine stator blades, thereby revealing the influence laws. The results reveal that the minimum cooling efficiency on the stator blade surface predominantly occurs at the position of channel 4 on the pressure surface, while the highest cooling efficiency is generally found near the leading edge of the suction surface. Regions of elevated thermal stress were consistently concentrated around the stator blade tip and root areas. When the coolant turbulence intensity increased from 0.05 to 0.15, the average cooling efficiency on the stator blade surface improved by 2.06%, accompanied by a reduction of 1.12% in the maximum thermal stress. In comparison to pure air cooling, dual-medium (air and steam) cooling and pure steam cooling lead to respective enhancements in the average cooling efficiency of approximately 3.3% and 13.2%, with corresponding decreases in the maximum thermal stress of 2.18% and 10.2%.

Particle-resolved numerical simulations of char particle combustion in isotropic turbulence

In the present study, two-dimensional particle-resolved numerical simulations of char particle combustion are performed. A series of cases are considered, with varying turbulence intensities and heterogeneous reaction rates. The impact of turbulence and Stefan flow on char particle combustion is examined. It is shown that the cases with higher turbulence intensity and heterogeneous reaction rate exhibit higher mean gas-phase temperatures and reaction rates. The range of the Stefan flow Reynolds number (ReS) increases as the value of heterogeneous reaction rate increases. Additionally, higher turbulence intensity is associated with an increased range of ReS. The drag force coefficient of burning particles is analyzed. The results show that turbulence induces fluctuations of drag force coefficient, and increasing the turbulent velocity broadens the drag force coefficient fluctuation amplitude. The particle drag force is increased with increasing heterogeneous reaction rate. The pressure and viscous components of the drag force are examined. It is revealed that the increase of heterogeneous reaction rate alters the pressure distribution on the particle surface, resulting in the increase of pressure drag force, while the viscous drag force remains almost unchanged.

EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF TWO-PHASE TURBULENT WAKE USING PIV TECHNIQUE

Near-wake regions of the turbulent wake flows behind a long cylinder at two Reynolds numbers (Re<sub>d</sub> = 3860 and 9650) and laden with the particles with mean size of 55 μm are studied using a two-phase particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique. Four mass-loading ratios (α) of 0 (equivalent to the single-phase case), 1, 3, and 5% corresponding to the dispersed-phase volume fractions of 1.248 × 10<sup>-6</sup>, 3.743 × 10<sup>-6</sup>, and 6.241 × 10<sup>-5</sup> for the last three cases, respectively, are investigated. In the particle-laden cases, complex variations of turbulence intensity are discovered; in the near-wake regions, turbulent intensity is either suppressed or enhanced locally compared with the single-phase case. No correlation between the turbulence-intensity modulation and the parameter of either α or Re<sub>d</sub> is found to exist. However, the turbulent mixing capability is attenuated for the cases with particles laden in the wakes. This attenuation is increased with α in both Re<sub>d</sub> cases. In contrast to the turbulence modulation, the turbulent dispersion of the laden particles increases as either α or Re<sub>d</sub> is increased.

Numerical investigation on the wake and energy dissipation of tidal stream turbine with modified actuator line method

This study evaluates correction methods for the actuator line method in tidal stream turbine calculations. Findings indicate that three-dimensional Gaussian distribution coefficients align closely with experimental results when ε = 2dr. Tip loss correction addresses abnormal axial force coefficient elevation at the blade tip, while stall delay correction minimally impacts standard turbine operation. Root loss correction slightly affects the root vortex but notably delays the disappearance of the nacelle after tail flow's bimodal region to 4D, contrary to observations. Using a cylinder correction at the blade root improves the root vortex representation. Enhanced ALM, combined with LES, simulates wake and energy loss across varying turbulence intensities. At low turbulence, the spiral vortex structure is clearer, with fewer stray vortices and a more regular circular shape. Increasing turbulence blurs the structure, introducing more turbulent vortices and losing regularity. Entropy production concept represents energy losses as total, direct, and turbulence entropy production. Direct entropy production is minimal, localized at blade tip, nacelle, and support structures due to significant velocity gradients. Indirect entropy production causes substantial energy loss, resembling wake flow's vortex pattern due to turbulent pulsation. With higher turbulence, EPR, EPDD, and EPTD decline as wake vortices are disrupted, reducing energy loss.

Research on the Characteristics of Urban Building Cluster Wind Field Based on UAV Wind Measurement

An innovative approach for measuring wind fields in urban building clusters using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) is presented. This method captures the distribution of wind fields within clusters. The results indicate that building architecture has a significant influence on wind flow characteristics at 15 m and 25 m height levels. Particularly, areas adjacent to the buildings and the wake section exhibit notable variations in wind speed and turbulence intensity compared to the incoming flow. The regions most affected include the areas flanking the buildings on either side and the intermediate section of the wake. The flow separation and convergence of incoming wind from the windward sides of the buildings notably amplify the wind load, resulting in a significant shift in wind speed and turbulence intensity within pedestrian pathways. The use of UAVs for wind measurements enables a flexible and efficient assessment of urban wind fields. These findings pave the way for further research into wind field measurements in urban architecture and a better understanding of the interference effects of buildings.

Sensitivity of turbulence parameters to tidal energy converter loads in BEM simulations

Renewable energy is playing an increasingly central role in the global energy supply due to decarbonisation and energy security aims. A vital aspect of renewable energy systems will be the predictability of the energy source, something that tidal stream energy can provide. The tidal sites suitable for energy extraction are by their nature turbulent, creating variations in the tidal energy converter (TEC) loads and affecting device durability. Developers use Blade Element Momentum (BEM) models to predict loading and improve designs of TECs. To simulate turbulence effects within these models, a synthetic flow field is generated using a combination of measured and assumed parameters. Inaccuracies in these parameters can lead to uncertainties in the simulated loads. This study investigates the sensitivity of turbulence characteristics to loads using a commercial BEM software. Variability in parameters shows a profound impact on the loads. Varying turbulence intensity resulted in a 90%\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$90\\%$$\\end{document} change in fatigue loads for intensities ranging 2–24%. Length-scales showed a 49%\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$49\\%$$\\end{document} decrease in loads across the range tested (5–70 m). A coherent flow field increased loads by 45%\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$45\\%$$\\end{document} compared to a non-coherent flow. Hub-bending loads varied by 30%\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$30\\%$$\\end{document} between different shear profiles, however varying the standard deviation profiles did not show notable effects. The results from this study emphasise the necessity for accurate turbulence parameter inputs to reduce uncertainty in device load modelling. It also highlights the importance of using realistic shear profiles as well as appropriate coherence models.

Study on Additive Effect of Film Cooling Effectiveness in Two Rows of Fan-Shaped Holes

Abstract The coolant jet interaction has a great influence on the superposition prediction of multirow film cooling. Although there have been many efforts to reveal the mechanics of additive effect in multirow film cooling, the available knowledge about developing the superposition method is still limited. The present work examines the film cooling effectiveness in two rows of fan-shaped holes by pressure sensitive paint technique, at the blowing ratios of 0.5–2.0 and the density ratio of 1.0. It is found that the impact of upstream flow on the downstream cooling film is reflected in the variation of turbulence intensity. The enhanced turbulence intensity is detrimental to the downstream film cooling effectiveness especially at the far away region. The mixing of upstream flow and coolant ejection starts at the leading edge of the hole exit. Thus, the streamwise width of the hole exit should be taken into consideration for better predicting the film cooling effectiveness around the holes. The cause of additive effect is that the coolant ejection at the second row affects the local mainstream entrainment. Then, a new correction factor, which characterizes the influence of coolant ejection on the mainstream entrainment of the upper row, is proposed for improving the classical Sellers method. The final result shows a good agreement with experimental data.

Research on piston error sensing for segmented mirrors under atmospheric turbulence.

Large aperture ground-based segmented telescopes typically use electrical edge sensors to detect co-phase errors. However, complex observing environments can lead to zero-point drift of the edge sensors, making it challenging to maintain the long-term co-phase of the segmented primary mirror using only edge sensors. Therefore, employing optical piston error detection methods for short-term calibration of edge sensors can address the issue of zero-point drift in the sensors. However, atmospheric turbulence can affect calibration accuracy based on the observational target. To achieve high-precision calibration of electrical edge sensors, this study investigates the impact of atmospheric turbulence on optical piston error detection. Based on simulated results, it is found that the actual measured piston error in the presence of atmospheric turbulence is the difference between the average phases of the two segments. Subsequently, optical piston error detection experiments were conducted in a segmented mirror system under simulated turbulent conditions with varying turbulence intensities. Experimental studies have shown that the detection accuracy of the optical method is almost the same as without turbulence when using a detection aperture size that is 0.82 times the atmospheric coherence length and an exposure time of at least 40 ms. The root mean square of the cross-calibration is better than 3nm. These experimental results indicate that under conditions of good atmospheric seeing, the optical piston error detection method can meet the short-term calibration requirements of edge sensors by setting reasonable detection area size and exposure time. It may even be possible to directly use optical detection methods to replace edge sensors for real-time detection of piston errors.

Experimental study of the transport characteristics of fractional-order vortex beams in a turbulent atmosphere simulator

Fractional vortex beams have attracted increasing attention due to their complex yet intriguing physical properties, such as radial notch intensity distribution and higher degrees of modulation in orbital angular momentum. In this study, we experimentally investigated and compared the beam spread and beam wander characteristics of fractional-order vortex beams with those of integer-order vortex beams after passing through a turbulent atmosphere simulator with varying turbulence intensities. Our results revealed that the beam spread of both fractional-order and integer-order vortex beams increased in a stepwise manner with the topological charge number, indicating that a larger topological charge number resulted in more severe beam spread. Interestingly, we observed that the beam radius of fractional-order vortex beams between two adjacent integer orders initially grew slowly and then rapidly before finally stabilizing into a curvilinear growth trend. This is in contrast to the linear growth trend exhibited by the beam radius of integer-order vortex beams. Furthermore, we found that the growth of the beam radius of half-integer-order vortex beams followed the linear growth trend of the beam radius of integer-order vortex beams. When the integer part of the topological charge was fixed, we observed that stronger turbulence resulted in more severe beam wander for both integer-order and fractional-order vortex beams, with the variance of the center-of-mass drift following the same growth curve. However, when the turbulence intensity is constant, both integer-order and fractional-order vortex beams exhibit a weaker beam wander effect with increasing topological charge. Our findings may provide valuable insights for applications such as optical communication and optical measurement using fractional-order vortex beams.

Experimental study of flow field and transition characteristics in rod bundle channel

Utilizing the particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique, this study investigates the fully developed flow field and turbulence statistics in a 5×5 rod bundle across 22 cases, with Reynolds numbers ranging from 310 to 12296.Time-averaged, statistical, and spectral analyses were performed on the full field and instantaneous velocity vectors obtained through PIV measurements to examine the velocity distribution, turbulence characteristics, and spectral features in different subchannels under various Reynolds numbers. In conjunction with a differential pressure transmitter, the flow properties and fluid transitions were also explored.The experimental results reveal that the relative velocity gradient in the rod bundle channel is more significant at lower Reynolds numbers. As the Reynolds number increases, the relative velocity distribution becomes more uniform. A comparison of experimental results from different planes indicates that the fluctuation velocity in the gap subchannel is greater than that in the inner subchannel, suggesting that tightly arranged rods can generate higher turbulence intensity. Furthermore, the transition observed through the friction factor in the rod bundle channel is less distinct than those in pipes, with the transition Reynolds number being approximately 900. A low Reynolds number effect is present in the rod bundle channel, where the dimensionless fluctuation velocity decreases as the Reynolds number increases. Upon reaching the transition Reynolds number, the area-averaged dimensionless fluctuation velocity abruptly rises. By examining the turbulence intensity variations at different positions within the rod bundle, it becomes evident that the transition Reynolds numbers vary across different subchannel positions. Ultimately, the experimental data can be employed to validate the applicability of turbulence models for different Reynolds numbers.

Assessing wind field characteristics along the airport runway glide slope: an explainable boosting machine-assisted wind tunnel study

Aircraft landings are especially perilous when the wind is gusty near airport runways. For this reason, an aircraft may deviate from its glide slope, miss its approach, or even crash in the worst cases. In the study, we used the state-of-the-art glass-box model, the Explainable Boosting Machine (EBM), to estimate the variation in headwind speed and turbulence intensity along the airport runway glide slope and to interpret the various contributing factors. To begin, the wind field characteristics were examined by developing a scaled-down model of Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) runway as well as and the surrounding buildings and complex terrain in the TJ-3 atmospheric boundary layer wind tunnel. The placement of probes along the glide slope of the model runway aided in the measurement of wind field characteristics at different locations in the presence and absence of surrounding buildings. Next, the experimental data was used to train the EBM model in conjunction with Bayesian optimization approach. The counterpart black box models (extreme gradient boosting, random forest, extra tree and adaptive boosting) as well as other glass box models (linear regression and decision tree) were compared with the outcomes of the EBM model. Based on the holdout testing data, the EBM model revealed superior performance for both variation in headwind speed and turbulence intensity in terms of mean absolute error, mean squared error, root mean squared error and R-square values. To further evaluate the impact of different factors on the wind field characteristics along the airport runway glide slope, the EBM model allows for a full interpretation of the contribution of individual and pairwise interactions of factors to the prediction results from both a global and a local perspective.

BER analysis for PAM-based UWOC-NOMA system in oceanic turbulence environment

Pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) scheme and non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) are attractive technologies to achieve high rate transmission and massive connectivity in the future Ocean Internet of Things (OIoT). To investigate the performance of underwater wireless optical communication (UWOC) NOMA systems based on PAM modulation, this paper develops a joint mathematical model with ocean turbulence and underwater solar noise based on the Weibull distribution. Specifically, the resolution framework on the ground of constellation multi-boundary judgments is proposed to derive the closed-form BER expressions for the wireless optical NOMA systems under ocean turbulent channels using the Laguerre approximation, which is also applicable to the other NOMA-enabled systems under higher order modulations. The accuracy of the analytical solution is demonstrated by simulation results. In addition, simulation results show that the higher-order PAM modulation can effectively reduce the bit-error rate (BER) gap between NOMA users and balance the fairness of users within the NOMA group. Furthermore, we observe that turbulence is one of the primary factors influencing the BER of the NOMA system in the marine environment, and the tilt angle of NOMA nodes has varying degrees of influence on the BER performance varying turbulence intensities. Therefore, selecting the appropriate tilt angle for the receiving nodes in a NOMA system based on the marine environment is beneficial to lowering the BER of the system.

Effect of leading-edge tubercles on the hydrodynamic characteristics and wake development of tidal turbines

This paper describes an investigation into the effect of leading-edge tubercles on turbine hydrodynamic characteristics and wake development characteristics. The hydrodynamic performance and wake velocity distribution of a modified turbine—termed Bio-turbine—are tested by a channel test. The normalized mean velocity profile obtained by the large eddy simulation (LES) method is consistent with the experimental data, which indicates that the numerical method is credible in predicting turbine performance and wake turbulence. By carefully examining the wake velocity deficit, turbulence intensity variation, and evolution of the vortex structure, it is possible to discuss how the leading-edge tubercles affect turbine performance and wake instability at various tip speed ratios (TSRs). The findings demonstrate that Bio-turbine has superior energy conversion performance at high TSRs, but the power amplitude is larger and the instability is more prominent. Furthermore, the unique structure of the blade leading edge alters the pressure distribution and flow separation behavior of the blade suction side, resulting in an enlargement of the wake recovery area. As a result, greater emphasis should be placed on the design of turbines with leading-edge tubercles.

Large-eddy simulations of the ice-shelf–ocean boundary layer near the ice front of Nansen Ice Shelf, Antarctica

Abstract. Ice melting beneath Antarctic ice shelves is caused by heat transfer through the ice-shelf–ocean boundary layer (IOBL). However, our understanding of the fluid dynamics and thermohaline physics of the IOBL flow is poor. In this study, we utilize a large-eddy simulation (LES) model to investigate ocean dynamics and the role of turbulence within the IOBL flow near the ice front. To simulate the varying turbulence intensities, we imposed different theoretical profiles of the velocity. Far-field ocean conditions for the melting at the ice-shelf base and freezing at the sea surface were derived based on in situ observations of temperature and salinity near the ice front of the Nansen Ice Shelf. In terms of overturning features near the ice front, we validated the LES simulation results by comparing them with the in situ observational data. In the comparison of the velocity profiles to shipborne lowered acoustic Doppler current profiler (LADCP) data, the LES-derived strength of the overturning cells is similar to that obtained from the observational data. Moreover, the vertical distribution of the simulated temperature and salinity, which were mainly determined by the positively buoyant meltwater and sea-ice formation, was also comparable to that of the observations. We conclude that the IOBL flow near the ice front and its contribution to the ocean dynamics can be realistically resolved using our proposed method. Based on validated 3D-LES results, we revealed that the main forces of ocean dynamics near the ice front are driven by positively buoyant meltwater, concentrated salinity at the sea surface, and outflowing momentum of the sub-ice-shelf plume. Moreover, in the strong-turbulence case, distinct features such as a higher basal melt rate (0.153 m yr−1), weak upwelling of the positively buoyant ice-shelf water, and a higher sea-ice formation were observed, suggesting a relatively high speed current within the IOBL because of highly turbulent mixing. The findings of this study will contribute toward a deeper understanding of the complex IOBL-flow physics and its impact on the ocean dynamics near the ice front.