What is it about?
This study evaluates the performance of three turbulence models—large eddy simulation (LES), delayed detached eddy simulation, and improved delayed detached eddy simulation (IDDES)—in predicting aerodynamic and flow characteristics around a tall building. Numerical results are validated against wind tunnel experimental data, illustrating that LES provides the most accurate predictions of mean and root mean square wind pressure and base moment coefficients. IDDES achieves a favorable balance between accuracy and computational efficiency, thereby offering a practical alternative to LES in engineering applications. Additionally, a comprehensive assessment of LES and IDDES in capturing the flow characteristics around a tall building is conducted in terms of wind velocity profiles, spectral distributions, spatial correlations, and three-dimensional vortex structures. It is demonstrated that LES is capable of accurately reproducing complex flow phenomena around a tall building, including separated shear layers and organized wake vortices. In comparison, IDDES provides predictions comparable to LES for the surrounding flow features of the tall building, while failing to adequately resolve fine-scale turbulence structures in the far wake. Moreover, the proper orthogonal decomposition analysis indicates that both LES and IDDES effectively capture the dominant energetic low-frequency structures, although subtle differences are observed in the modal energy distribution.
Featured Image
Photo by Chris Nagahama on Unsplash
Why is it important?
The performance of various turbulence models in predicting aerodynamic and flow characteristics around a high-rise building is comprehensively assessed in this study. The accuracy of the numerical simulations is first validated through a quantitative comparison of wind pressure and base moment coefficients against experimental data. Subsequently, the flow characteristics around a tall building are discussed in terms of wind velocity profiles, spectral distributions, spatial velocity correlations, and three-dimensional coherent structures. Moreover, a POD analysis is conducted to gain insight into the physical mechanisms underlying the discrepancies observed between LES and IDDES in simulating the flow field around a tall building.
Perspectives
In summary, LES demonstrates superior accuracy in simulating aerodynamic and flow characteristics around a high-rise building, while IDDES provides a practical alternative between predictive accuracy and computational cost. Nonetheless, the application of IDDES to high-frequency turbulence and fine-scale vortex structures requires careful validation.
Dr. Tong Zhou
The University of Tokyo
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Comparative assessment of large eddy simulation and detached eddy simulation in predicting aerodynamic and flow characteristics around a tall building, Physics of Fluids, September 2025, American Institute of Physics,
DOI: 10.1063/5.0289342.
You can read the full text:
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
