TY - JOUR

T1 - Evaluation of the dynamic core of the PALM model system 6.0 in a neutrally stratified urban environment

T2 - comparison between LES and wind-tunnel experiments

AU - Gronemeier, Tobias

AU - Surm, Kerstin

AU - Harms, Frank

AU - Leitl, Bernd

AU - Maronga, Björn

AU - Raasch, Siegfried

N1 - Funding Information: the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) within the framework “Research for Sustainable Development” (FONA; https://www.fona.de/de/, last access: 2 June 2021; grant nos. 01LP1601 and 01LP1602). Funding Information: This study was part of the [UC]2 project that is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The study was conducted in collaboration with the two sub-projects MOSAIK and 3DO. All simulations were carried out on the computer clusters of the North-German Supercomputing Alliance (HLRN; https://www.hlrn.de/, last access: 2 June 2021). Data analysis was done using Python.

PY - 2021/6/4

Y1 - 2021/6/4

N2 - We demonstrate the capability of the PALM model system version 6.0 to simulate neutrally stratified urban boundary layers. Our simulation uses the real-world building configuration of the HafenCity area in Hamburg, Germany. Using PALM's virtual measurement module, we compare simulation results to wind-tunnel measurements of a downscaled replica of the study area. Wind-tunnel measurements of mean wind speed agree within 5% on average while the wind direction deviates by approximately 4 °. Turbulence statistics similarly agree. However, larger differences between measurements and simulation arise in the vicinity of surfaces where building geometry is insufficiently resolved. We discuss how to minimize these differences by improving the grid layout and give tips for setup preparation. Also, we discuss how existing and upcoming features of PALM like the grid nesting and immersed boundary condition help improve the simulation results.

AB - We demonstrate the capability of the PALM model system version 6.0 to simulate neutrally stratified urban boundary layers. Our simulation uses the real-world building configuration of the HafenCity area in Hamburg, Germany. Using PALM's virtual measurement module, we compare simulation results to wind-tunnel measurements of a downscaled replica of the study area. Wind-tunnel measurements of mean wind speed agree within 5% on average while the wind direction deviates by approximately 4 °. Turbulence statistics similarly agree. However, larger differences between measurements and simulation arise in the vicinity of surfaces where building geometry is insufficiently resolved. We discuss how to minimize these differences by improving the grid layout and give tips for setup preparation. Also, we discuss how existing and upcoming features of PALM like the grid nesting and immersed boundary condition help improve the simulation results.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85107884882&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.5194/gmd-2020-172

DO - 10.5194/gmd-2020-172

M3 - Article

VL - 14

SP - 3317

EP - 3333

JO - Geoscientific Model Development

JF - Geoscientific Model Development

SN - 1991-959X

IS - 6

ER -