Wind Velocity Research Articles

Design of Adits for People Passing Spacing in High Altitude Highway Tunnels in Cold Regions

Existing research into this topic primarily focuses on low-altitude areas, neglecting the impact of extreme environmental conditions such as low temperature, low oxygen level, and low pressure in high-altitude regions. Based on the smoke diffusion theory, a series of CFD numerical simulations were conducted in order to investigate the characteristics of smoke diffusion in the highway tunnel at high altitude. The results indicated that the increase in altitude would enhance the longitudinal propagation velocity of smoke, leading to a more pronounced impact on temperature, CO concentration, and visibility at characteristic heights. Meanwhile, the altitude intensifies the inhibitory impact of longitudinal ventilation on smoke diffusion upwind of the fire source and augments the acceleration effect on smoke diffusion downwind, thereby impeding personnel evacuation on the downwind side. By taking the hazardous range at a characteristic height under the impact of wind velocity and the deceleration of evacuation velocity due to altitude into consideration, a new recommended reduction factor was deduced to design adits for people passing spacing in highway tunnels at high altitude. The findings can serve as a valuable reference for the personal evacuation in high-altitude highway tunnel fires and the design of spacing between adits for people passing within such tunnels.

High-altitude balloon-launched uncrewed aircraft system measurements of atmospheric turbulence and qualitative comparison with infrasound microphone response

Abstract. This study investigates the use of a balloon-launched uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) for the measurement of turbulence in the troposphere and lower stratosphere. The UAS was a glider which could conduct an automated descent following a designated flight trajectory and was equipped with in situ sensors for measuring thermodynamic and kinematic atmospheric properties. In addition, this aircraft was equipped with an infrasonic microphone to assess its suitability for the remote detection of clear-air turbulence. The capabilities of the UAS and sensing systems were tested during three flights conducted in New Mexico, USA, in 2021. It was found that the profiles of temperature, humidity, and horizontal winds measured during descent were in broad agreement with those made by radiosonde data published by the US National Weather Service, separated by up to 380 km spatially and by 3 to 5 h temporally. Winds measured during controlled flight descent were consistent with the winds measured by global-positioning-system-derived velocity during balloon ascent. During controlled descent with this particular payload, a nominal vertical resolution on the order of 1 m was achieved for temperature, relative humidity, and pressure with a nominal vertical resolution of the wind velocity vector on the order of 0.1 m; the aircraft had a glide slope angle from 1 to 4° during this time. Analysis approaches were developed that provided turbulent kinetic energy and dissipation rate, but it was found that the corresponding Richardson number was sensitive to the methodology used to determine the vertical gradients from a single flight. The low-frequency content of the infrasonic microphone signal was observed to qualitatively align with long-wavelength wind velocity fluctuations detected at high altitude. Moreover, the microphone measured more broadband frequency content when the aircraft approached turbulence produced by the boundary layer.

Research on integrated LiDAR and multi-parameter detection of atmospheric transmittance, turbulence, and wind

An integrated LiDAR system has been reported, which can be used for simultaneous detection of atmospheric transmittance, turbulence, and wind along the same path. Through the integrated design of optics and mechanics, the size and weight of the system were effectively reduced. The comprehensive detection distance of atmospheric transmittance, atmospheric coherence length, and radial wind had also been achieved at least 4 kilometers. Comparative experiments have demonstrated that the detection results of the integrated LiDAR system and the near-surface meteorological observation system have standard deviations of less than 0.03 km−1 for extinction coefficient, 0.2 m/s for wind velocity, and 7.15 × 10−14 m−2/3 for C 2 n (atmospheric refractive index structure parameter), thus verifying the accuracy of the system detection. The reliability of the integrated LiDAR system was validated through six consecutive nights of continuous detection experiments, measuring three parameters simultaneously. Through analysis, the influence laws among atmospheric transmittance, coherence length, and wind were preliminarily explored. Significant variations in wind velocity can induce substantial fluctuations in atmospheric coherence length, and it is positively correlated with atmospheric transmittance. The integrated LiDAR system can provide a variety of reliable real-time detection data for further research on the laser transmission process in the atmosphere.

A refined empirical model of steady-state downburst based on high-resolution wind speed data obtained from wind tunnel tests

A slice of research pertinent to the analytical or empirical models of downburst winds was available, but the current validation was usually based on sampled wind velocities at several typical positions in the experimental measurements rather than the whole-flow domain information. Therefore, the capability of existing analytical or empirical models to reproduce the whole development of downbursts at different stages remains questionable. This paper aims to refine the empirical model of downbursts based on high-resolution wind speed data obtained from wind tunnel tests, which renders the well-established empirical model to simulate the maximum wind speed of the vortex ring and to obtain the more accurate wind profiles in the outflow regime. To overcome the bottleneck problem that lay in the lack of experimental results for whole-flow domain information, a comprehensive experimental study based on the impinging jet simulator was conducted and the spatial variations of downburst winds were systematically measured. Then, the empirical model considering the nonlinear growth of boundary layer thickness is refined according to the experimental results, so that two new empirical functions, which could rationally represent the spatial variation of horizontal wind velocities in the whole-flow domain, have been proposed. The refined empirical model can be used to facilitate the safety analysis of structures and buildings under downburst winds with a higher confidence level.

Effects of Fuel Bed Slope and Wind Direction on Flame Spread Characteristics Over a Bed of Pinus Silvestris Needles

ABSTRACT Important factors influencing the flame characteristics over a bed of dry pine needles from Siberian Boreal forests (Pinus silvestris) in lab-scale is provided. Factors such as slope of the fuel bed, wind velocity, and direction of spread (concurrent flow or opposed flow), which play significant roles in determining the flame spread rate, have been investigated. Systematic lab-scale experiments have been carried out in a wind tunnel with varying air velocities and on an inclined fuel bed in still air. Numerical simulations have been carried out using a three-dimensional physics-based flame spread model available in Fire Dynamics Simulator, and the results are validated against a wide range of measured flame characteristics. The validated numerical model is then used to simulate concurrent flow and opposed flow flame spread over a sloping fuel bed in the presence of wind. Gas phase temperature on and above the bed surface and total and radiative heat flux measurements for concurrent flow and opposed flow flame spread under the influence of wind as well as for upslope flame spread in still air are presented. A stationary flame propagation mode is observed for a flat fuel surface. Predicted temperature, flow, and species concentration fields have been reported for selected cases to understand the flow and flame dynamics in gas phase and within the fuel beds. These data serve as a validation of the numerical model used for simulating the experimental cases. Further, it can be used to validate popular fire models such as Fire Foam and Fire-Star 3D.

STELLA Lightcurves of Energetic Pair-instability Supernovae in the Context of SN2018ibb

SN2018ibb is a recently observed hydrogen-poor superluminous supernova that appears to be powered by the decay of 30 M ⊙ of radioactive nickel. This supernova has been suggested to show hybrid signatures of a pair-instability supernova and an interacting supernova. In a previous paper, we found that rotating, metal-enriched pair-instability supernova progenitors appeared to check both of these boxes. In this paper, we model the lightcurves of the pair-instability supernovae using STELLA. We find that the STELLA models can explain the overall shape of the bolometric lightcurve of SN2018ibb, though not specific morphological features such as the luminosity peak or the bump at roughly 300 days after the peak. We also estimate the contribution from interaction and find that with relatively low wind velocities, the circumstellar medium originating from the stellar winds is consistent with the evidence for interaction in the spectra. The observed values of the photosphere velocity in the 100 days after peak luminosity are similar to the STELLA models, but the deceleration is lower. This leads to the biggest inconsistency, which is the blackbody temperature of SN2018ibb being much hotter than any of the STELLA models. We note that this high temperature (and the flat velocity) may be difficult to reconcile with the long rise time of SN2018ibb, but nevertheless conclude that if it is accurate, this discrepancy represents a challenge for SN2018ibb being a robust PISN candidate. This result is noteworthy given the lack of other scenarios for this supernova.

Spectroscopic Observations of Ten Galactic Wolf–Rayet Stars at Bosscha Observatory: Determination of Stellar Parameters and Mass-loss Rates

We present optical spectra of 10 Galactic Wolf–Rayet (WR) stars that consist of five WN and five WC stars. The optical observation was conducted using a low-resolution spectrograph NEO-R1000 (λ/Δλ ∼ 1000) at GAO-ITB RTS (27.94 cm, F/10.0), Bosscha Observatory, Lembang. We implemented stellar atmosphere Postdam Wolf–Rayet (PoWR) grid modeling to derive stellar parameters. The normalized optical spectrum can be used to find the best model from the available PoWR grid, then we could derive stellar temperature and transformation radius. To derive luminosity, stellar radius and color excess, we conducted a Spectral Energy Distribution (SED) analysis with additional data on the near-ultraviolet spectrum from the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) database, and UBV and 2MASS JHK broadband filter data. Additional analysis to derive asymptotic terminal wind velocity was conducted from the P-Cygni profile analysis of the high-resolution IUE ultraviolet spectrum. With previously derived parameters, we could determine the mass loss rate of the WR stars. Furthermore, we compared our results with previous work that used PoWR code and the differences are not more than 20%. We conclude that the PoWR spectral grid is sufficient to derive WR stellar parameters quickly and could provide more accurate initial parameter input to the PoWR program code.

Convective heat transfer and drag coefficients of human body in multiple crowd densities and configurations in semi-outdoor scenarios

This study numerically assessed the impact of human crowd density and outdoor wind conditions (average velocity, its profile, and direction) on the convective heat transfer and drag coefficients (hc and Cd). Five different configurations of standing computer-simulated persons (CSPs) were tested in a semi-outdoor environment. A single isolated CSP, nine CSPs in a block array (with three representative crowd densities), and eighteen randomly allocated CSPs were used. The results indicated a significant impact of crowd density on the overall and local hc values. As the density increases, the body's obstruction against wind increases, resulting in lower heat loss. Newly proposed formulas for hc as a function of the average wind velocity (UAVE.) are (7.56 × UAVE.0.65), (8.02 × UAVE.0.64), and (8.26 × UAVE.0.63) for the high, medium, and low crowd densities, respectively. This reveals an overestimation of hc when an isolated human body is used. The hc values of the upper segments were the most affected by a 22 % reduction in the predicted hc. Moreover, when the crowd density increased, local hc and Cd decreased simultaneously, particularly in the chest, pelvis, and thigh segments. Oblique wind angles (60° and 150°) resulted in the highest hc and Cd values compared to other angles. The chest and pelvis were most affected by shifting the wind direction, indicating the dominance of these segments in concurrently controlling the thermal and drag performances. These results provide valuable insights into the optimization of human thermal and physical comfort models.

Technological Limit of Solar Concentration Technique Applied to Hybrid Photovoltaic-Thermal Solar Collector Equipped with Thermoelectric Generator Incorporating Ternary Nanofluid

Abstract This paper aims to explore the technological limits of the synergy between the solar concentration technique, facilitated by a parabolic concentrator, and the thermoelectric effect induced by a thermoelectric generator (TEG) within a PV/T, incorporating a ternary nanofluid (Cu-Al2O3-MWCNT/Water). Each component of the CPV/T-TEG is subject to energy balance equations, and the Runge Kutta fourth-order method is employed to solve the resultant mathematical model. The effects of the concentration ratio CR, the mass flow rate ṁ, and the nature of the heat transfer fluid (HTF) on the performance of the system are scrutinized. The simulations are carried out under the meteorological conditions of Ain Salah city in southern Algeria for a moderate wind velocity. The results show better performance when operating ternary nanofluid compared to other HTFs. Moreover, the outcomes indicate that by using a 2% volume fraction of nanoparticles of ternary nanofluid, the thermal output, electrical yield, and thermoelectric production reach enhancements of 14.55%, 11.18%, and 22.64%, respectively. Incorporating the solar concentrator resulted in 3.54 and 5.88 times increase in electrical and thermal powers, respectively. With the growths in ṁ, the temperature of the PV decreases by 53°, and the electrical efficiency improved by 34.52%. Correlations encompassing the concentration ratio and mass flow rate for various types of heat transfer fluids are established to predict the technological limits of CPV/T-TEG systems under the meteorological conditions specific to Ain Salah.

Wind tunnel experiment on cross-ventilation of generic isolated building with various roof shapes: Impact of roof pitch and eaves

This study examined the effects of roof shape, specifically roof pitch and eaves, on cross-ventilation performance through wind tunnel experiments that measure static pressure on walls and the detailed wind velocity distribution for isolated building models with basic roof geometries. A flat roof, a gable roof, and two types of shed roof with different orientations were compared. The buildings with a flat or shallow roof pitch (15°) showed no significant change in the pressure difference between windward and leeward facades. However, a steeper roof pitch (30°) caused a significant increase in pressure difference, especially for the shed roof that ascends in the wind direction (shed-A roof). This was caused by larger projected building areas creating stronger recirculation zones behind the building, leading to lower pressure on the leeward facade. The shed-A roof with a pitch of 30° had the best ventilation performance among the tested cases. Eaves generally reduced pressure differences, except for the shed-A roof. The effect of eaves was weaker than reported in previous studies. The experimental results obtained in this study can serve as a validation database for a more detailed study of this problem using computational fluid dynamics.

Effects of the main media of wind and water on the biodiversity pattern of grassland and its driving mechanism in Poyang Lake

AbstractAs important media for species diffusion, water and wind are two important factors for grassland biodiversity conservation in lake areas. Exploring their driving mechanism on grassland biodiversity is crucial for maintaining the lake ecosystem's equilibrium. Our study utilizes the data of wind velocity and water level, which are significant performance factors for wind and water respectively in Poyang Lake from 2000 to 2020 to reveal their interannual time‐series fluctuation characteristics and their influence mechanism on the grassland biodiversity pattern. Landscape pattern indices and biodiversity indicators, such as the number of patches (NP), patch density (PD), landscape spreading index (CI), landscape fragmentation index (LSD), landscape aggregation index (AI), Simpson diversity index (MSIDI) and Simpson evenness index (MSIEI) were analysed, trend analysis, redundancy analysis and structural equation modelling were applied in this study. The main results were: (1) From 2000 to 2020, Poyang Lake's wind velocity decreased gradually, and the water level first decreased and then rose. NP in Poyang Lake fluctuated substantially, LSD fluctuated frequently and obvious temporal heterogeneity existed. (2) CI and AI increased from low to high value, facilitating species dispersal and migration. The dominant species with high aggregation gradually established stronger connectivity. Moderate spreading degree and aggregation degree maintained high biodiversity and evenness, whereas excessive spreading degree and aggregation degree led to homogenization of species, decrease in biodiversity, reduction in species evenness, and increase in dominance. (3) As the landscape transformed from having no obvious dominant species to being dominated by several dominant species, MSIEI and landscape dominance changed from high to low and low to high respectively. Moreover, the biodiversity shifted from high to low, and species distribution in the landscape shifted from balanced to unbalanced. (4) The effect of water level on PD, AI, LSD, MSIDI and MSIET was significantly higher than that of wind velocity. LSD was mainly regulated by the minimum wind velocity affecting the maximum and average water levels. MSIDI and MSIET were primarily governed by the minimum wind velocity affecting the minimum water level. The minimum water level decreased as the minimum wind velocity increased, and MSIDI and MSIET weakened as the minimum water level decreased.

Numerical investigation on drying characteristics between hot wind and wet coating of battery electrode

In this paper, a three-dimensional dynamic drying model is established between hot wind and wet coating based on dynamic mesh method and multi-field coupling theory of porous media. This model considers the combined influences of hot wind and aluminum plate on drying characteristics of wet coating comprehensively based on meshless parallel method. It is proved to be reliable because its simulation data within the error range of plus/minus 15 %. Through this model, the influences and distribution of different operating parameters on drying characteristics are analyzed for surface and interior of wet coating, and the velocity, temperature and relative humidity of hot wind are selected as 8 m/s-10 m s-1, 353.15K-373.15 K and 35 %-55 %, respectively. The results show that the drying processes of surface and interior can be accelerated effectively for wet coating by increasing velocity and temperature of hot wind, while the relative humidity has little effect on its drying characteristics. Meanwhile, the variation trends of wet coating with the drying time as 0–20 s, 20s-30 s and 30s-50 s are consistent with the acceleration, uniform and deceleration drying processes of porous media, respectively. Finally, the drying uniformity is compared for different partitions of wet coating. The results show that the growth gradient of drying non-uniformity with the increase of velocity is smaller than that with the increase of temperature. The change gradient of drying non-uniformity for wet coating with the change of temperature is larger than that with the change of velocity. For drying model in this paper, the optimal operating strategy when the velocity of hot wind is 8 m/s-10 m s-1, temperature is 363.15 K and relative humidity is 45 % can be adopted to improve the drying uniformity of wet coating while reducing its total drying time in engineering. The research results provide an important theoretical basis for control parameters regulation of lithium-ion battery coating oven.

Impact of cloud properties and aerosols on the spatial distribution of Indian summer monsoon rainfall: A case study

Quantitative seasonal Indian summer monsoon (ISM) rainfall forecasting has been a challenge for the climate models as it is sensitive to cloud properties, which are modulated by large-scale dynamics. Proper understanding of the role of dynamics, aerosols, and cloud microphysical processes is important for the precipitation calculation in dynamical models. The all-India averaged seasonal ISM rainfall (ISMR) from June to September had been normal or above normal, however there were large spatial variations. Some meteorological subdivisions, the majority of which lie in the Gangetic Plains, received deficient seasonal rainfall during recent years 2022 and 2010. The quantitative seasonal prediction of the spatial distribution of ISMR from global coupled models (GCMs) has also shown a hard time for accurate spatial rainfall distribution. Four monsoon years (2022, 2021, 2011, and 2010) are considered, in which the country as a whole (all India land points) was ‘above normal’ or ‘normal’. However, in two specific years (2022 and 2010), some subdivisions received deficient rainfall (17% and 15% of the total area). We have used several datasets from the ground, and satellite observations, along with reanalysis products and computed climatology and anomalies for monsoon years of 2022 and 2010. The low-level wind and vertical velocity along with cloud microphysics played a pivotal role in the heterogeneous distribution of ISMR during 2022 and 2010 as compared to years 2021 and 2011. Here, we have demonstrated that the spatial heterogeneity of the positive and negative precipitation anomalies was consistent with cloud properties. Aerosols might have an impact on the cloud microphysical processes and modulate cloud properties and rainfall over different regions due to the availability of water vapor. Therefore, the inclusion of aerosol indirect effects in climate models is crucial for better interactions among dynamics, aerosol, and cloud microphysics. Proper representation of cloud droplet size distribution and microphysical conversion rates might be helpful for quantitative seasonal ISMR forecasting at a smaller spatial scale.

City configurations to optimise pedestrian level ventilation and wind comfort

Mediterranean coastal cities encounter two conflicting urban environmental challenges. First, strong winds that pose a risk of pedestrian wind discomfort on coastal streets, and second, weak winds that lead to inadequate outdoor ventilation in inner urban fragments. This study aims to optimise pedestrian level ventilation and wind comfort in Izmir, a compact coastal city in the Mediterranean climate. Three hypothetical city configurations were created based on four morphological parameters: street layout, urban street canyon form, tower layout, and tower height variation. Computational fluid dynamics simulations of the city configurations were performed and validated by wind tunnel experiments. The weak, comfortable, and strong winds were determined and mapped at the pedestrian level to assess each city configuration's performance. The results show that using the strategy of a shifted coastal street layout with adding towers on second-row blocks results in a 20 % reduction of the maximum wind velocity ratio on coastal streets compared to a grid street layout without towers. Moreover, positioning step-up towers on step-up city blocks and shifted towers on step-down city blocks can increase pedestrian-level ventilation efficiency by up to 73 %. The research methodology and findings can be transferred to other climates and urban environments and guide urban designers.

Progenitor and explosion properties of SN 2023ixf estimated based on a light-curve model grid of Type II supernovae

Abstract We estimate the progenitor and explosion properties of the nearby Type II SN 2023ixf using a synthetic model grid of Type II supernova light curves. By comparing the light curves of SN 2023ixf with the pre-existing grid of Type II supernovae containing about 228000 models with different combinations of the progenitor and explosion properties, we obtain the $\chi ^2$ value for every model and evaluate the properties of the models providing small values of $\chi ^2$. We found that the light-curve models with a progenitor zero-age main-sequence mass of $10\, {M}_\odot$, explosion energy of $(2\\!-\\!3) \times 10^{51}\:\mbox{erg}$, $^{56}\mbox{Ni}$ mass of 0.04–$0.06\, {M}_\odot$, mass-loss rate of $10^{-3}$–$10^{-2}\, {M}_\odot \:\mbox{yr}^{-1}$ with wind velocity of $10\:\mbox{km}\:\mbox{s}^{-1}$, and dense, confined circumstellar matter radius of $(6\\!-\\!10) \times 10^{14}\:\mbox{cm}$ match well to the observed light curves of SN 2023ixf. The photospheric velocity evolution of these models is also consistent with the observed velocity evolution. We note that the progenitor mass estimate could be affected by the adopted progenitor models. Although our parameter estimation is based on a pre-existing model grid and we do not perform any additional computations, the estimated parameters are consistent with those obtained by the detailed modeling of SN 2023ixf previously reported. This result shows that comparing the pre-existing model grid is a reasonable way to obtain a rough estimate for the properties of Type II supernovae. This simple way to estimate the properties of Type II supernovae will be essential in the Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) era when thousands of Type II supernovae are expected to be discovered yearly.

Study on thermal runaway propagation characteristics of the lithium-ion battery module by two-phase flow of nitrogen and water mist in longitudinal ventilation environment

To prevent and control the thermal runaway (TR) and its propagation of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is a key problem for its sustainable development and wide application. However, there is still a gap in the research on the characteristics of two-phase flow of nitrogen(N2) and water mist (NWM) controlling TR and its propagation in different longitudinal ventilation environments. In this study, the influence of wind velocity on 0.5 MPa NWM to control TR and its propagation characteristic parameters of LIB module was studied experimentally. The results show that with the increase of wind velocities, the opening time of the safety valve and TR trigger temperature of the LIB module gradually increased. At the same wind velocity, TR trigger temperature of cell 1 to cell 5 was successively reduced after 0.5 MPa NWM was applied. The cooling and asphyxiation effect of 0.5 MPa NWM is the best in natural ventilation environment, but the suppression effect of 0.5 MPa NWM on TR propagation of the LIB module is weakened under the influence of forced ventilation. However, different wind velocities have little effect on TR trigger temperature of the blocked LIB module. At the same time, a quasi-steady state thermal equilibrium of the NWM in a ventilation environment was established for the LIB module, and the influence of the coupling effect of different longitudinal ventilation environments and 0.5 MPa NWM on TR propagation characteristic parameters of the LIB module and the heat transfer mechanism in the thermal runaway propagation process were compared under the two conditions of within or without battery case. It is found that the convection effect of the wind plays a leading role in the heat dissipation of the blocked LIB module when the wind velocity is less than 4.5 m/s. The heat conduction of the battery case plays a leading role when the wind velocity is greater than 4.5 m/s. Moreover, in any ventilation environments, TR propagation time of the blocked LIB module is smaller than that of the unblocked LIB module. Under the same wind velocity, TR trigger temperature of the blocked LIB module and the maximum temperature of each cell are higher than that without battery case. This work provides a new perspective for controlling TR propagation of the LIBs. At the same time, it can provide theoretical guidance for ensuring process safety and firefighters to fight LIB fire accidents.

Machine learning-based predicting of PCM-integrated building thermal performance: An application under various weather conditions in Morocco

As is now stands, the building sector is among the “big three” significant energy consumer and greenhouse gas contributor in the world. Consequently, there has been a growing movement towards the development and adoption of renewable energy sources, energy efficient measures and energy management strategies. Phase change materials (PCMs) are considered as an alluring option for energy efficiency measures in building. In this paper, a case study building, based on typical residential construction in Morocco, was selected to assess the potential energy savings of adding PCM to the roof for twenty-four cities using the dynamic simulation tool, TRNSYS. Thereafter, thirteen machine learning techniques, including ANN, DT, SVM, ELM, GB, RF, TB, GLRM, GPR, LR, GAM, KRRM and LRR were assessed for predicting the hourly heating, cooling, and total energy consumptions. The models were trained and tested on a dataset that was gathered from the simulations in twenty-four locations in Morocco. The outdoor dry-bulb temperature, the relative humidity, the wind velocity, the wind direction, and the total solar radiation were considered as the key features. The obtained results revealed that using PCM, can effectively lower the total energy demand for all the cities under study, with exception for very cold climate given by Ifrane and Midelt, where the annual total energy consumption shows an increasing trend. Furthermore, comparing the statistical results for each machine learning model, it is found that the SVM model consistently outperforms all models and can be successfully employed to predict the hourly network's outputs of the building.

Natural ventilation potential of teaching building complexes with different block shapes and layout patterns

Natural ventilation significantly enhances building energy efficiency and indoor air quality, thereby reducing virus transmission risks, especially crucial in teaching buildings on university campuses frequently occupied by large numbers of students. This study investigates the design impacts of teaching building complexes on indoor and outdoor wind environments, aiming to propose practical design recommendations. Firstly, a typological analysis of teaching building complexes from ten universities in Guangzhou University Town (GUT) was conducted, screening out several archetypes representing diverse design features. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were then performed on 16 hypothetical teaching building complexes derived from these archetypes. The wind velocity distributions and area-weighted wind velocities across various hypothetical scenarios were compared and analyzed, allowing for a thorough assessment of the natural ventilation performance associated with different block shapes and layout patterns. The findings reveal that canyons between buildings have a marginal impact on natural ventilation within scenarios characterized by aligned layouts. In contrast, staggered layouts notably enhance natural ventilation, particularly with orthogonal prevailing winds. Furthermore, semi-enclosed courtyard blocks outperform fully enclosed courtyard blocks in natural ventilation, especially when their openings align with prevailing wind directions. Finally, several practical recommendations were summarized for achieving sustainable teaching building design in similar climate regions. Key contributions include demonstrating the significant influence of block shape and layout on ventilation performance and offering novel insights into optimizing building designs for improved natural ventilation.

The Effects of Wind Velocity on the Binding Properties of Ash, Bottom Ash, and Additives: A Wind Tunnel Study

The Effects of Wind Velocity on the Binding Properties of Ash, Bottom Ash, and Additives: A Wind Tunnel Study

Characteristics of monochromatic gravity waves in the mesosphere observed by Rayleigh lidar above Logan, Utah

Atmospheric gravity wave (AGW) characteristics were examined using Rayleigh lidar data collected over a period spanning 11 years above Logan, UT (41.7°N, 111.8°W), over an altitude range of 45–90 km. Variations of the relative density perturbations obtained with 3-km vertical resolution and 10-min temporal resolution are used to identify the presence of monochromatic gravity wave features throughout the mesosphere. The measured vertical wavelengths λz ranged over 6–19 km with 12–14 km the most prevalent and the measured wave period τ ranged over 2–8 h with 5–6 h the most prevalent. The values of λz, τ and mean wind velocity u were used to infer vertical phase velocities cz, horizontal wavelengths λx, horizontal phase velocities cx and horizontal distances to the source region x. There appears to be a clear seasonal dependence in cz, τ, cx, λx, and x but not in λz. The cz values maximize in summer, τ and x maximize in winter whereas cx and λx, maximize in winter and summer but minimize in spring and autumn. The values of x ranged over 1300–5000 km for waves at 60 km and ∼2000–7500 km for waves at 90 km. The source of these AGWs is, thus, far away. Furthermore, for one of these monochromatic waves to exist all night or appear to extend over 45–90 km, it has to originate from a very extended region and persist for a long time.