A Large-Eddy Simulation Study of Turbulent Flow and Ventilation in a Densely Built-Up Urban Area

Turbulent flow in a densely built-up area of Seoul, South Korea, for 0900–1500 LST 31 May 2008 is simulated using the parallelized large-eddy simulation model (PALM) one-way coupled to a mesoscale model [Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model]. Time-varying inflow that is composed of mesoscale wind and turbulent signals induces different mean flows and turbulence structures depending on time. While sweeps induced by upper flow are distinct for 0900–0910 LST, strong ejections and weaker sweeps are dominant for 1450–1500 LST at z = 200 m and the strong ejections seem to be induced by buildings or by building-induced flow structures. To investigate pedestrian wind environment and ventilation, mean wind velocity and turbulent kinetic energy at 2.5 m above streets are analyzed. The reference mean wind speed at z = 600 m continuously increases after 1010 LST. The pedestrian mean streamwise velocity tends to decrease after 1100 LST although the pedestrian mean wind speed tends to slowly increase. The velocity ratio of the pedestrian mean wind speed to the reference mean wind speed, representing a measure of ventilation in urban areas, is high on broad streets and at intersections and low in dense building areas. Vortices in street canyons and winding flows around tall buildings seem to induce high velocity ratio there. The velocity ratio is shown to be linearly proportional to the pedestrian mean streamwise velocity, suggesting the possibility of using mean streamwise velocity as a ventilation indicator in densely built-up urban areas.