A Dynamically Adaptive Lattice Boltzmann Method for Predicting Wake Phenomena in Fully Coupled Wind Engineering Problems

The essential components of a dynamically adaptive, parallel lattice Boltzmann method particularly tailored for coupled wind engineering are described. By utilizing a level set approach for geometry embedding the method can handle rotating and moving structures effectively and is thereby genuinely suited for fluid-structure coupling problems involving low-Mach number flows. The approach is validated for the canonical six degrees of freedom test case of a driven two-segment hinged wing. Subsequently, the wake field in an array of three Vestas V27 wind turbines at prescribed rotation rate and under constant inflow condition is simulated for two different scenarios. These results demonstrate that the time-explicit nature and the low dissipation properties of the lattice Boltzmann scheme in combination with dynamic mesh adaptation are able to predict well-resolved vortex structures created by realistic rotor speeds far downstream of the turbines at moderate computational costs.