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wind energy resource evaluation in a site of central italy ... - WindSim

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CHAPTER 2. Simulations over flat terra<strong>in</strong>s.2.1 IntroductionThe purpose <strong>of</strong> this chapter is to analyze the <strong>in</strong>fluence <strong>of</strong> some parameters whichcan be set by the user <strong>in</strong> predict<strong>in</strong>g <strong>w<strong>in</strong>d</strong> velocity fields, by runn<strong>in</strong>g the Terra<strong>in</strong> andthe W<strong>in</strong>dfield modules <strong>of</strong> W<strong>in</strong>dSim. A series <strong>of</strong> 2D simulations has been done, byvary<strong>in</strong>g step by step one <strong>of</strong> the parameters considered, i.e. roughness value <strong>of</strong> theterra<strong>in</strong>, number <strong>of</strong> cells <strong>in</strong> vertical direction, height distribution factor and po<strong>in</strong>t <strong>of</strong>measurement [14]. Moreover, particular attention has been devoted <strong>in</strong> f<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>g thecorrect boundary condition at the top <strong>of</strong> the model, able to describe the physicalphenomena <strong>of</strong> the geostrophic <strong>w<strong>in</strong>d</strong> and neutral ABL.First <strong>of</strong> all, it is useful to recall the pr<strong>in</strong>ciple by which an <strong>in</strong>compressible turbulentflow develops over a flat plate, under a constant mass flow rate. The reader shouldrem<strong>in</strong>d the mean<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> the figure 2.1 below.Figure 2.1: Development <strong>of</strong> the boundary layer thickness <strong>of</strong> an air flow upon a flat plate. All dimensions <strong>in</strong>meters.Referr<strong>in</strong>g to the Atmospheric Boundary Layer (ABL), the situation can be supposedto be like a flow pass<strong>in</strong>g over a rough plate, with a known value <strong>of</strong> roughness. Aneutral ABL can be considered a s the case <strong>of</strong> the flow over a flat plate very far fromthe beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> the plate. In this case the upper boundary <strong>of</strong> the model can be16

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