Extended Abstract (912K)5.2
Improvements to a Fast-Response Urban Wind Model
Matthew A. Nelson, LANL, Los Alamos, NM; and B. Addepalli, F. Hornsby, A. A. Gowardhan, E. Pardyjak, and M. J. Brown
The Quick Urban and Industrial Complex (QUIC) atmospheric dispersion modeling system attempts to fill an important gap between the fast but non-building-aware Gaussian plume models and the building-aware but slow computational fluid dynamics models. While Gaussian models have the ability to give answers quickly to emergency responders they are unlikely to be able to adequately account for the effects of the building-induced complex flow patterns on the near-source dispersion of contaminants. QUIC uses a diagnostic mass-consistent empirical wind model called QUIC-URB that is based on the methodology of Röckle (1990). In this approach, the recirculation zones that form around and between buildings are inserted into the flow using empirical parameterizations and then the wind field is forced to be mass consistent. Recently several new building types have been added to QUIC-URB including: a parking garage that allows air to pass through; outdoor stadiums of elliptical and rectangular shapes; and buildings that can be rotated so that they no longer need to be aligned with QUIC-URB's orthogonal grid. The upwind, rooftop, and cavity parameterizations have been modified to work seamlessly with building rotation. In addition, modifications to building flow algorithms have been made based on comparisons to wind-tunnel experiments of high-rise buildings and cylindrical obstacles. In this presentation, we will provide an overview of the new building types and building parameterizations. An evaluation of the new and old algorithms against wind-tunnel data will also be presented.
Supplementary URL: http://www.lanl.gov/projects/quic
Session 5, Pollutant Transport, Transformation, and Removal Processes
Tuesday, 22 January 2008, 8:30 AM-9:45 AM, 220
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