Author:

Keywords:

Science & Technology, Physical Sciences, Technology, Thermodynamics, Energy & Fuels, Engineering, Mechanical, Engineering, MODEL

Abstract:

An h-adaptive, mass consistent finite element model (FEM) is used to construct 3-D wind fields over irregular terrain utilizing sparse meteorological tower data. The element size in the computational domain is dynamically controlled by a-posteriori error estimator based on the L2 norm. In the h-adaptive FEM algorithm, large element sizes are typically associated with computational regions where the flow is smooth and small errors; small element sizes are attributed to fast changing flow regions and large errors. The adaptive procedure uses mesh refinement/unrefinement to satisfy error criteria. The application of a mass consistent approach essentially poses a least-squares problem in the computational domain. Preliminary results are obtained for constructing 3-D wind fields for Nellis Dunes in Nevada. Copyright © 2008 by ASME.