LES of a simple block canopy and sensitivity studies with the vegetation model in PALM
Responsible: Hannes Schulz?
Project type: bachelor thesis
Duration: 01/2012-05/2012

Large-Eddy Simulation of a neutrally stratified, pressure-driven turbulent flow above and within a 15 m high idealized vegetation canopy. The influence of the vegetation elements was described in PALM by the embedded vegetation model after Watanabe (2004).
Mean profiles and turbulence statistics were validated against results from other LES studies and experimental data. Coherent turbulent structures developing according to the mixing-layer analogy (Raupach et al., 1996) were analyzed by calculating turbulence length scales from mean vertical velocity gradients and two-point correlations at the canopy top.
A sensitivity study was performed to investigate effects of the numerical grid resolution on the model’s results, particularly with regard to vertical transport and the spacing between coherent eddies forming from inflection point instabilities at the canopy top.

Download: Full thesis​