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ARS Home » Plains Area » Fort Collins, Colorado » Center for Agricultural Resources Research » Rangeland Resources & Systems Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #363085
Title: Computational fluid dynamics simulation of airflow through standing vegetation

Author
item GONZALES, HOWELL - Retired Non ARS Employee
item Tatarko, John
item Casada, Mark
item MAGHIRANG, RONALDO - Kansas State University
item HAGEN, LAWRENCE - Retired ARS Employee
item BARDEN, CHARLES - Kansas State University

Submitted to: American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/4/2019
Publication Date: 1/23/2020
Publication URL: https://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/6862083
Citation: Gonzales, H., Tatarko, J., Casada, M.E., Maghirang, R., Hagen, L., Barden, C. 2020. Computational fluid dynamics simulation of airflow through standing vegetation. American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. 62(6):1713-1722. https://doi.org/10.13031/trans.13449.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.13031/trans.13449

Interpretive Summary: Keeping vegetation on the soil surface is the most widely used method for control of soil wind erosion. To better understand the effects of plants on wind flow, we mathematically simulated wind through a stand of artificial plants that represent live wheat. Using a computer program known as computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software, we simulated previously measured wind through several three-dimensional plant patterns in a wind tunnel. This study focused on two objectives: 1) simulate airflow through standing vegetation using the CFD software, and 2) compare the results of a previous wind tunnel study with various artificial vegetation patterns to the CFD results. Wind speeds measured from the wind tunnel experiment differed slightly from the simulation, especially near positions in which simulated vegetation was present. The overall effect of wind computed did not differ between wind tunnel and simulated results. Results of this study will provide information for further research into other types of plants or sparse vegetation to develop better wind erosion control methods.

Technical Abstract: Maintaining vegetative cover on the soil surface is the most widely used method for control of soil loss by wind erosion. We numerically modeled airflow through artificial standing vegetation (i.e., simulated wheat plants) using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software OpenFOAM. A specific solver of OpenFOAM architecture (simpleFoam) was used to simulate airflow through various three-dimensional (3D) canopy structures in a wind tunnel, created using another open source CAD geometry software (Salomé platform ver. 7.2). This study focused on two specific objectives: 1) model airflow through standing vegetation using open-source CFD software, and 2) compare the results of a previous wind tunnel study with various artificial vegetation configurations to the results of the CFD model. Wind speeds measured from the wind tunnel experiment differed slightly from the numerical simulation using OpenFOAM, especially near positions in which simulated vegetation was present. Effective drag coefficients computed using wind profiles did not differ significantly (p >0.05) between experimental and simulated results. Results of this study will provide information for research into other types of simulated stubble or sparse vegetation during wind erosion events.