A numerical study of the effects of ambient wind direction on flow and dispersion in urban street canyons using the RNG k-ε turbulence model

A three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model with the renormalization group (RNG) k-ε turbulence scheme is developed. The model developed is used to investigate the effects of ambient wind direction on flow and dispersion around a group of buildings. According to the ambient wind direction, three flow patterns are identified in a view of the characteristics of the mean flow circulation generated in street canyons. In the first flow pattern, a portal vortex generated behind the east wall of the upwind building is symmetric about the center of the street canyon. In the second flow pattern, a portal vortex is also generated behind the east wall of the upwind building, but its horizontal axis is not perpendicular to the ambient wind direction. In the third flow pattern, the footprints of a portal vortex are located behind both the east and north walls of the upwind building. When the incident wind angle is 45°, flow is diagonally symmetric behind the upwind building. As the incident wind angle increases, pollutant escape from the street canyons decreases. Except for the case where the ambient wind direction is perpendicular to the buildings, pollutants are trapped in the portal vortex, thus exhibiting high concentration there.