Grid Validations for Downburst Simulations

Abstract:

Downbursts, which resulted from the flow downdraft in thunderstorms, have become one of the most destructive disasters to buildings including transmission towers, etc. This disaster has drawn researchers’ interests and progresses have been continuously made by employing test and numerical tools. Accounting for the grid validations in the numerical simulation of downbursts, eight grids with different grid point distributions are generated, and then their corresponding flow fields are calculated by solving Navier-Stokes equations. The numerical results are compared with test results to investigate the influence of grid distributions onto numerical results. The results indicate that, numerical fidelity could be improved by refining grids in the zone with strong horizontal wind; while local grid refinement at inlet boundary could deteriorate numerical accuracy when the grid point number is kept constant, hence uniform grid distribution is recommended at inlet boundary without any grid refinement.

• Periodical: Applied Mechanics and Materials (Volumes 249-250)
• Pages: 159-163
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.249-250.159
• Online since: December 2012
• Authors: Hui Xue Dang, Feng Li Yang, Jing Bo Yang
• Keywords: Downburst, Grid Validation, Numerical Fidelity, Numerical Simulation, Refinement

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