A telescopic local grid refinement technique for wind flow simulation over complex terrain

A telescopic local grid refinement technique is developed in order to enhance the accuracy level of wind field predictions in a subregion of a complex topography. A 3D simulation of the wind flow field over complex terrains has been carried out. The governing Navier–Stokes conservation equations of the flow field are solved numerically in a three‐dimensional generalized curvilinear non‐orthogonal grid, using Cartesian velocity components, following the finite volume approximation and a pressure correction method. Turbulence is simulated by a two‐equation transport model. The reliability of the general flow solver is first tested by simulating the flow past a cube. The second test case simulated is the flow over the Askervein hill, with a detailed comparison of predicted and measured velocities. The third case presented concerns flow field simulation over a complete island. Comparison with measurements reveals the significance of the accurate discretization of the topography and the use of telescopic meshes on the results. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.