Angle Of Wind Approach Research Articles

CFD simulations of wind flow across scarped foredunes: Implications for sediment pathways and beach–dune recovery after storms

AbstractBeach–dune systems are dynamic geomorphic environments subject to erosion during storms and reconstruction during swell‐dominated inter‐storm periods. Wave‐cut scarps are frequently carved into the beach–dune profile, occasionally eroding the stoss slope of the foredune. Although the rapid phases of erosion have been researched and modelled extensively, relatively little is known about beach–dune recovery, especially scarp healing by aeolian processes. Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) modelling was deployed in this study to yield insights into different flow patterns across beach–dune profiles with three model foredunes (unscarped, 1 m scarp, 2 m scarp) for varying wind approach angles (α = 0–45°). The results show that the presence of a scarp substantially modifies the flow dynamics on the backbeach in front of the foredune. Vertical profiles of turbulence kinetic energy indicate that the influence of this flow‐modified zone extends out to about −7hfrom the scarp base (wherehis the scarp height). The reduction in onshore wind speed that is characteristic of this flow‐modified zone favours sand deposition on the backbeach and sand ramp development at the base of the scarp. Shore‐normal wind approach angles yield discontinuous roller‐like vortices with reversing (offshore) flow components at the sand surface, accompanied by the evolution of echo dunes. Oblique wind approach angles yield corkscrew (helicoidal) vortices that lead to the formation of continuous sand ramps alongshore. A conceptual model of scarp healing based on ideas previously discussed in the literature and enhanced by the CFD simulation results highlights the importance of sand ramps for reconnecting the transport system on the beach to the foredune stoss slope, thereby facilitating foredune growth and maintenance.

Automation and New Capabilities in the University of Florida NHERI Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel

The Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI) experimental facility at the University of Florida provides a diverse suite of experimental resources to support wind hazard research. The 40-m long Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel (BLWT) simulates boundary layer flows to characterize wind loading on rigid structural models and assess the response of aeroelastic structures. The use of experimental automation tools provides researchers unparalleled flexibility in their test configurations while supporting high throughput testing and data collection. The Terraformer, an array of 1116 roughness elements, can be rapidly reconfigured to generate terrain conditions in less than 90 seconds, the test section turntable can move automatically through a range of wind approach angles, and the instrumentation gantry can traverse preset paths to collect wind field measurements anywhere in the tunnel cross-section. These test automation tools, along with mechatronic structural models and real-time data transfer and processing, provide new opportunities in experimental wind tunnel testing. Recent cyber-physical wind tunnel testing projects highlight the benefits of these experimental automation tools. This paper will also discuss the most recent addition to the BLWT, the Flow Field Modulator (FFM). It consists of a 2D array of 319 individually controlled ducted fans driven by electronic speed controllers. The FFM expands the BLWT capabilities by supporting the simulation of non-monotonic profiles and nonstationary events such as gust fronts and downbursts, where mean velocity and turbulence distributions change over short spatial scales. The ability to simulate these flow conditions in a wind tunnel enables the investigation of a wide range of damaging conditions and the solutions for mitigating their impact on structures.

Wind pressure coefficients for roof ventilation purposes

Wind pressure coefficients (cp) are important inputs for analytical calculations of wind load. The aim of this research is to investigate wind pressure coefficients on a test house located in Norway in order to pave the way for improved analysis of wind-driven roofing ventilation. The large-scale test measurements show that the wind pressure coefficient along the eaves of the house varies with different wind approach angles. Assuming wind-driven air flow through the air cavity beneath the roofing, an average Δcp¯ value of 0.7 is derived for practical engineering purposes. The results from the study are applicable for single or two-storey houses with pitched roofs at different roof angles.

Jet flow over foredunes

AbstractJet flows, which are localized flows exhibiting a high speed maxima, are relatively common in nature, and in many devices. They have only been occasionally observed on dunes, and their dynamics are poorly known. This paper examines computational fluid dynamic (CFD) two‐dimensional (2D) modelling of jet flow over a foredune topography. Flow was simulated in 10° increments from onshore (0°) to highly oblique alongshore (70°) incident wind approach angles. CFD modelling reveals that the formation of a jet is not dependent on a critical wind speed, and an increase in incident wind velocity does not affect the magnitude of jet flow. A jet is first formed at ~1.0 m seawards of the foredune crest on the Prince Edward Island foredune morphology example examined here. A jet is not developed when the incident wind is from an oblique approach angle greater than ~50° because there is significantly less flow acceleration across a much lower slope at this incident angle. The presence of a scarp does influence the structure of the crest jet, in that the jet is more pronounced where a scarp is present. Surface roughness affects the magnitude of jet expansion and jets are better developed on bare surfaces compared to vegetated ones. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

EOLIAN MORPHOGENESIS IN COASTAL ZONE OF THE SOUTHEASTERN BALTIC SEA

The process of aeolian sand carrying out from the sea beach and formation of the aeolian features in the coastal zone of Curonian Spit is considered. The dependence is revealed between the quantity of materials transported by wind upon the composition of substratum and angle of wind approach to shoreline. Several coastal sites are distinguished there with different direction and force of the wind-sandy flow.

Influence of topography on wind speed over a coastal dune and blowout system at Jockey's Ridge, NC, USA

AbstractThis study examines the spatial distribution of wind speed across a coastal dune system located at Jockey's Ridge State Park, North Carolina. The study area consists of a trough blowout through a foredune ridge, and the landforms that have developed behind the foredune. Wind speed and direction were measured simultaneously with single sensors placed at a fixed height in 13 locations across the blowout/dune complex. Fractional wind speed‐up is computed for sampling stations using data from a mast located on the beach as the reference. Results show that wind speeds were generally accelerated across the study site. The highest speeds were recorded on the foredune ridges adjacent to the blowout. Wind was accelerated through the center of the blowout throat and along the downwind lateral wall. Further into the blowout, at the base of the ramp to the depositional lobe, higher wind speeds shifted to the upwind lateral wall and continued to accelerate up the ramp as air exited to the rear. Significant variations in the wind speed‐up pattern were associated with different wind approach angles, with greater speed‐up occurring when the winds were aligned normal to the dune system. The speed‐up decreased as the angle of approach became increasingly oblique to the ridge. The patterns of wind speed‐up across the site point to the influence of topography on airflow. To quantify the relationship, measures of several topographic variables were obtained along sample transects running upwind from each sample station along flow lines representing different wind approach angles. Examination of correlation coefficients between wind speed‐up and topographic variables suggests that for groups of stations with similar topographic characteristics, 30–50% of the variations in speed‐up may be explained by the upwind topographic variability. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Flow deflection over a foredune

Flow deflection of surface winds is common across coastal foredunes and blowouts. Incident winds approaching obliquely to the dune toe and crestline tend to be deflected towards a more crest-normal orientation across the stoss slope of the foredune. This paper examines field measurements for obliquely incident winds, and compares them to computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling of flow deflection in 10° increments from onshore (0°) to alongshore (90°) wind approach angles. The mechanics of flow deflection are discussed, followed by a comparative analysis of measured and modelled flow deflection data that shows strong agreement. CFD modelling of the full range of onshore to alongshore incident winds reveals that deflection of the incident wind flow is minimal at 0° and gradually increases as the incident wind turns towards 30° to the dune crest. The greatest deflection occurs between 30° and 70° incident to the dune crest. The degree of flow deflection depends secondarily on height above the dune surface, with the greatest effect near the surface and toward the dune crest. Topographically forced flow acceleration (“speed-up”) across the stoss slope of the foredune is greatest for winds less than 30° (i.e., roughly perpendicular) and declines significantly for winds with more oblique approach angles. There is less lateral uniformity in the wind field when the incident wind approaches from >60° because the effect of aspect ratio on topographic forcing and streamline convergence is less pronounced.

Meso-scale modelling of aeolian sediment input to coastal dunes

The collection of a time series coupling hourly wind data (speed and direction) with sand transport over months has provided new insights into the dynamics of transport events that input sediment to the foredune at Greenwich Dunes, Prince Edward Island National Park, Canada. This paper summarises the key aspects of aeolian sediment movement for a period of 9months and presents a modelling approach for resolving aeolian transport to coastal dunes at the meso-scale. The main hypothesis of the modelling approach is that a small number of key factors control both the occurrence and the magnitude of transport events. Thresholds associated with these factors may be used to filter the time series and isolate potential transport periods over the year. The impacts of nearshore processes are included in the approach as part of the dynamics of coastal dunes, as are supply-limiting factors and trade-offs between fetch distances, angle of wind approach, and beach dimensions. A simple analytical procedure, based on previously published equations, is carried out to assess the general viability of the conceptual approach. Results show that the incorporation of moisture and fetch effects in the calculation of transport for isolated potential transport periods result in improved predictions of sediment input to the dune. Net changes, measured with three different techniques, suggest that survey data with coarse temporal resolution underestimates the amount of sand input to the dune, because sediment is often removed from the embryo dune and foredune by other processes such as wave scarping. Predictions obtained by the proposed modelling approach are of the same order of magnitude as measured deposition and much less than predicted by models based solely on wind speed and direction. Areas for improvement and alternative modelling approaches, such as probabilistic approaches similar to weather forecasting, are covered in the discussion.

Meso-scale aeolian sediment input to coastal dunes: The nature of aeolian transport events

Observations of aeolian transport in coastal areas have focused on short-term experiments because of limitations imposed by instrumentation. This paper uses a case study at Greenwich Dunes, Prince Edward Island National Park, Canada, to analyze how sediment transport takes place at the beach over periods of weeks to months. A monitoring station provided hourly time series of vegetation cover, shoreline position, fetch distances, surficial moisture content, presence of ice and snow, wind speed and direction and transport processes over nine months. Analysis shows that high wind speeds may not generate any net transport into the dunes because of the limitations imposed by snow/ice cover, moisture, and short fetch distances. Despite extreme winds during intense storms, such events often lead to wave scarping rather than aeolian sediment input to the foredunes. When sediment was transported on the beach, the magnitude was regulated by a combination of factors including: angle of wind approach, fetch distance, moisture content, and duration of the wind event. In particular, angle of wind approach (and therefore fetch distance) may demote a high magnitude wind event with strong transport potential to one with no transport at all, which poses challenges for predicting the effects of individual storms over the course of several months. A significant proportion of sediment delivery to the foredunes was associated with wind events of low to medium magnitude. It is suggested here that large magnitude wind events have low probabilities of resulting in transport towards the foredune because factors such as wave inundation play an increasing role in preventing sediment movement across the beach. This has implications for modelling and management, and highlights differences between the magnitude and frequency of aeolian transport events in the coastal environment compared to those in deserts and to fluvial sediment transport.

A review of the application of the fetch effect to modelling sand supply to coastal foredunes

The fetch effect is an increase of the aeolian sediment transport rate with distance downwind over an erodible surface. The first observations of the fetch effect go back 70 years and the concept has been widely used in a variety of landscapes. This paper reviews the present state of knowledge of the fetch effect, with particular reference to its application in coastal areas, and compares findings from theoretical, wind tunnel, and fieldwork experiments. While wind tunnel experiments tend to show critical fetch distances of a few metres, studies in natural areas show that measured critical fetch distance can exceed one hundred metres. There is supporting evidence pointing to the role of soil clods/crusts and moisture content in increasing critical fetch distances in agricultural and coastal areas, respectively. In coastal areas tradeoffs imposed by the geometry of the beach over which the wind is blowing and wind direction determine the available fetch distance and thus the sediment transport rate downwind. A major challenge which needs to be addressed is the development of robust equations for predicting both the critical fetch length and the increase in the sediment transport rate with distance on beaches. There is also a need to obtain field data on the combined effect of moisture, angle of wind approach, beach width, and fetch length. Long-term monitoring using remote sensing techniques may provide valuable data to analyze the effect of fetch distances on the nature of transport events that deliver sediment from the beach to the foredune.

Computational Model of a Novel, Two-Cup Horizontal Wind-Turbine System

Typical wind turbine systems are sufficiently large so as to require extensive physical space for their installa- tion and operation. These requirements preclude the use of turbines in crowded, urban environments. On the other hand, smaller turbine systems may find practical application as rooftop units, installed atop tall buildings. Such rooftop units must be much smaller than their ground-based counter parts. In this paper, a new, vertical-axis wind turbine has been ana- lyzed by using a two-step numerical procedure. The design consists of two turbine cups that are positioned with 180 o separation. In the first step of the analysis, a complete numerical simulation of the wind-flow patterns across the cup with wind impacting angles spanning 360 o was completed. From these calculations, it was possible to determine the functional relationship between rotational forces, relative wind speed, and the relative angle of wind approach. The second stage of numerical procedure was a time-wise integration of the instantaneous angular velocity of the wind turbine. These calcula- tions were carried out until the turbine had achieved quasi-steady motion. The corresponding cycle-averaged angular ve- locity (terminal angular velocity) was then determined. This second stage was completed for a wide range of wind speeds so that a functional dependence of the turbine rotational velocity on the wind speed could be found. This functional rela- tionship enables a user to predict the operational response of the wind turbine based on a known and steady wind velocity.

Aeolian sediment transport on a beach: Surface moisture, wind fetch, and mean transport

Temporal and spatial changes in wind speed, wind direction, and moisture content are ubiquitous across sandy coastal beaches. Often these factors interact in unknown ways to create complexity that confounds our ability to model sediment transport at any point across the beach as well as our capacity to predict sediment delivery into the adjacent foredunes. This study was designed to measure wind flow and sediment transport over a beach and foredune at Greenwich Dunes, Prince Edward Island National Park, with the express purpose of addressing these complex interactions. Detailed measurements are reported for one stormy day, October 11, 2004, during which meteorological conditions were highly variable. Wind speed ranged from 4 ms − 1 to over 20 ms − 1 , wind direction was highly oblique varying between 60° and 85° from shore perpendicular, and moisture content of the sand surface ranged from a minimum of about 3% (by mass) to complete saturation depending on precipitation, tidal excursion, and storm surge that progressively inundated the beach. The data indicate that short-term variations (i.e., minutes to hours) in sediment transport across this beach arise predominantly because of short-term changes in wind speed, as is expected, but also because of variations in wind direction, precipitation intensity, and tide level. Even slight increases in wind speed are capable of driving more intense saltation events, but this relationship is mediated by other factors on this characteristically narrow beach. As the angle of wind approach becomes more oblique, the fetch distance increases and allows greater opportunity for the saltation system to evolve toward an equilibrium transport state before reaching the foredunes. Whether the theoretically-predicted maximum rate of transport is ever achieved depends on the character of the sand surface (e.g., grain size, slope, roughness, vegetation, moisture content) and on various attributes of the wind field (e.g., average wind speed, unsteadiness, approach angle, flow compression, boundary layer development). Moisture content is widely acknowledged as an important factor in controlling release of sediment from the beach surface. All other things being equal, the rate of sediment transport over a wet surface is lesser than over a dry surface. On this beach, the moisture effect has two important influences: (a) in a temporal sense, the rate of sediment transport typically decreases in association with rainfall and increases when surface drying takes place; and (b) in a spatio-temporal sense, shoreline excursions associated with nearshore processes (such as wave run-up, storm surge, and tidal excursions) have the effect of constraining the fetch geometry of the beach—i.e., narrowing the width of the beach. Because saturated sand surfaces, such as found in the swash zone, will only reluctantly yield sediments to aeolian entrainment, the available beach surface across which aeolian transport can occur becomes narrower as the sea progressively inundates the beach. Under these constrained conditions, the transport system begins to shut down unless wind angle becomes highly oblique (thereby increasing fetch distance). In this study, maximum sediment transport was usually measured on the mid-beach rather than the upper beach (i.e., closer to the foredunes). This unusual finding is likely because of internal boundary layer development across the beach, which yields a decrease in near-surface wind speed (and hence, transport capacity) in the landward direction. Although widely recognized in the fluid mechanics literature, this decrease in near-surface shear stress as a by-product of a developing boundary layer in the downwind direction has not been adequately investigated in the context of coastal aeolian geomorphology.

A general framework for modeling sediment supply to coastal dunes including wind angle, beach geometry, and fetch effects

A series of spatially explicit equations are derived that form the foundation of a modeling framework that provides insight into how the interaction of the fetch effect and angle of wind approach leads to tradeoffs that govern the magnitude of aeolian sediment transport across beaches of different geometry. The spatial distribution of sediment transport rate per unit width at any point on the beach is shown to vary predictably as a function of wind angle, critical fetch, and beach geometry; and this has evident implications for the total volume and distribution of sediment transport into the dunes behind the beach as well as the proportion of sediment lost from the beach-dune system at the downwind margin. As the wind field shifts from onshore (shore perpendicular) to oblique (shore parallel) approach angle, total sediment transport rate across a dune line segment will reflect a tradeoff between transport reduction because of the cosine effect and transport enhancement because of potentially longer fetch distances traversed by the wind prior to encountering the dune line. This tradeoff is most evident on long, narrow beaches when beach width is less than the critical fetch. For such beaches and with onshore winds, the total sediment transport rate across the dune line will be less than that predicted for a wide beach because of the constraint imposed by the fetch effect. However, as the angle of wind approach becomes oblique, the available fetch becomes progressively longer, transport limitations imposed by the fetch effect are negated, and transport enhancement across the dune line is to be expected. With very large angles of wind approach, the cosine effect dominates the interaction and transport reductions across the dune line occur until the wind is shore parallel and sediment supply to the dunes ceases altogether. This sequence of adjustments and tradeoffs were only partially understood prior to this study, and yet they form the foundation of coastal dune modeling. The framework proposed in this paper serves to place future studies of process-form interaction in beach-dune systems on a robust theoretical foundation. It also facilitates the testing of various alternative hypotheses regarding the uneven spatial and temporal distribution of dune height and growth rate in coastal environments.