A Study of Turbulent Kinetic Energy produced by Buildings in an Urban Central Business District

A large number of sonic anemometers were employed during the Joint Urban 2003 Atmospheric Dispersion Study to measure the turbulence around large buildings. Turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) and wind power spectra were computed for many locations. Simulations of airflow in the Oklahoma City area were made with a flow code named RUSTIC (Realistic Urban Spread and Transport of Intrusive Contaminants), providing estimates of the TKE and wind direction and speed, which were compared with measured values. Analysis of the contribution of different frequency ranges to the total TKE was performed to determine the frequency range that was best modeled by the k-&omega equations in RUSTIC.