Ultrasonic wind velocity measurement based on DSP

Ultrasonic transmitting, receiving and amplifying circuits are designed. Thereceived signals are sampled with the high speed ADC (analog-to-digital converter), and dealt withthe DSP (digital signal processing). A forward-backward IIR (infinitive impulse response) filterwith no delay is designed to filter the sampled data, and series A and B are achieved by narrow andwide band filtering, respectively. In series A, the start point of the cycle first exceeding thethreshold is calculated accuratelyby interpolation, and the start cycle is detected by fittingcycles in series A and its inversion A' to cycles in B with variance analysis. Therefore, the startpoint of the start cycle is calculated precisely. By deriving the relationships between the traveltime in the opposite directions of three axes and the airflow velocities, the wind velocity anddirection are calculated. Experiments show that the reliability and the precision are improved, andthe circuits are simplified.

Reinvestigation of the scaling law of the windblown sand launch velocity with a wind tunnel experiment

Windblown sand transport is a leading factor in the geophysical evolution of arid and semi-arid regions.The evolution speed is usually indicated by the sand transport rate that is a function of launch velocity of sand particle,which has been investigated by the experimental measurement and numerical simulation.However,the obtained results in literatures are inconsistent.Some researchers have discovered a relation between average launch velocity and wind shear velocity,while some other researchers have suggested that average launch velocity is independent of wind shear velocity.The inconsistence of launch velocity leads to a controversy in the scaling law of the sand transport rate in the windblown case.On the contrary,in subaqueous case,the scaling law of the sand transport rate has been widely accepted as a cubic function of fluid shear velocity.In order to explain the debates surrounding the windblown case and the difference between windblown and subaquatic cases,this study reinvestigates the scaling law of the vertical launch velocity of windblown transported sand particles by using a dimensional analysis in consideration of the compatibility of the characteristic time of sand particle motion and that of air flow.Then a wind tunnel experiment is conducted to confirm the revisited scaling law,where the sand particle motion pictures are recorded by a high-speed camera and then the launch velocity is solved by the particle tracking velocimetry.By incorporating the results of dimensional analysis and wind tunnel experiment,it can be concluded that,the ratio of saltons number to reptons number determines the scaling law of sand particle launch velocity and that of sand transport rate,and using this ratio is able to explain the discrepancies among the classical models of steady sand transport.Moreover,the resulting scaling law can explain the sand sieving phenomenon:a greater fraction of large grains is observed as the distance to the wind tunnel entrance becomes larger.

Forecasting of wind velocity:An improved SVM algorithm combined with simulated annealing

Accurate forecasting of wind velocity can improve the economic dispatch and safe operation of the power system. Support vector machine (SVM) has been proved to be an efficient approach for forecasting. According to the analysis with support vector machine method, the drawback of determining the parameters only by experts' experience should be improved. After a detailed description of the methodology of SVM and simulated annealing, an improved algorithm was proposed for the automatic optimization of parameters using SVM method. An example has proved that the proposed method can efficiently select the parameters of the SVM method. And by optimizing the parameters, the forecasting accuracy of the max wind velocity increases by 34.45%, which indicates that the new SASVM model improves the forecasting accuracy.

Effects of wind guide plates on wind velocity acceleration and dune leveling： a case study in Ulan Buh Desert, China

The areas used to be covered by shifting sand dunes have been reclaimed rapidly in recent years. However, it is a challenge to reclaim high sand dunes because it is rather costly to level the high dunes to gentle arable lands. In this study, a wind guide plate was used to change the characteristics of natural wind to level the sand dunes. The use of wind energy could significantly increase the efficiency of dune leveling and decrease the cost. Low wind velocity is a typical characteristic in Ulan Buh Desert of China where the average wind speed is much lower than the threshold velocity for sand movement. The experiment of this study was conducted to accelerate the wind velocity by a wind guide plate to level a sand dune. Results show that the threshold velocity for sand movement is 3.32 m/s at 10 cm above the sand surface in Ulan Buh Desert. A wind guide plate set at an angle less than 50° could significantly increase the wind velocity. The wind velocity could be accelerated up to the threshold velocity for sand movement behind a plate when the plate is at the angles of 20°, 25°, 35° and 40°. The most significant acceleration of wind velocity appears at 1.5 and 3.0 m behind the plate with an angle of 25°. An obvious wind velocity acceleration zone exists behind the wind guide plate when the angles are at 25°, 35°, 40° and 45°, with the most obvious zone under the angle of 45°. The results also show that the total amount of sand transferred over the experimental period increased by 6.1% under the effects of wind guide plates compared to the sand moved without wind guide plates. The results of the study will provide theoretical and practical supports for desert management in sand dune areas.

Three-Dimensional Wind Field Retrieved from Dual-Doppler Radar Based on a Variational Method:Refinement of Vertical Velocity Estimates

In this paper,a scheme of dual-Doppler radar wind analysis based on a three-dimensional variational method is proposed and performed in two steps.First,the horizontal wind field is simultaneously recovered through minimizing a cost function defined as a radial observation term with the standard conjugate gradient method,avoiding a weighting parameter specification step.Compared with conventional dual-Doppler wind synthesis approaches,this variational method minimizes errors caused by interpolation from radar observation to analysis grid in the iterative solution process,which is one of the main sources of errors.Then,through the accelerated Liebmann method,the vertical velocity is further reestimated as an extra step by solving the Poisson equation with impermeable conditions imposed at the ground and near the tropopause.The Poisson equation defined by the second derivative of the vertical velocity is derived from the mass continuity equation.Compared with the method proposed by O’Brien,this method is less sensitive to the uncertainty of the boundary conditions and has better stability and reliability.Furthermore,the method proposed in this paper is applied to Doppler radar observation of a squall line process.It is shown that the retrieved vertical wind profile agrees well with the vertical profile obtained with the velocity–azimuth display(VAD)method,and the retrieved radial velocity as well as the analyzed positive and negative velocity centers and horizontal wind shear of the squall line are in accord with radar observations.There is a good correspondence between the divergence field of the derived wind field and the vertical velocity.And,the horizontal and vertical circulations within and around the squall line,as well as strong updrafts,the associated downdrafts,and associated rear inflow of the bow echo,are analyzed well.It is worth mentioning that the variational method in this paper can be applied to simultaneously synthesize the three-dimensional wind field from multiple-Doppler radar observations.

Aerodynamic unstable critical wind velocity for three-dimensionalopen cable-membrane structures

The aerodynamic unstable critical wind velocity for three-dimensional open cable-membrane structures is investigated. The geometric nonlinearity is introduced into the dynamic equilibrium equations of structures. The disturbances on the structural surface caused by the air flow are simulated by a vortex layer with infinite thickness in the structures. The unsteady Bernoulli equation and the circulation theorem are applied in order to express the aerodynamic pressure as the function of the vortex density. The vortex density is then obtained with the vortex lattice method considering the coupling boundary condition. From the analytical expressions of the unstable critical wind velocities, numerical results and some useful conclusions are obtained. It is found that the initial curvature of open cable-membrane structures has clear influence on the critical wind velocities of the structures.

The Simulation and Characteristic Study of Wind Velocity for Long-Span Structures

The new technique that combines wave superposition with the fast Fourier transformation was introduced to simulate the nodal three-dimension relevant wind velocity time series of spatial structures. The wind velocity field where the spatial structure is located is assumed to be homogeneous. The wind’s power spectral density is divided into frequency spectral function and coherency function and the spectral functions are transformed as the superposition coefficients. The wavelet analysis has excellent localized characters in both time and frequency domains, which not only makes wind velocity time series analysis more accurate, but also can focus on any detail of the objective signal series. The discrete wavelet transformation was adopted to decompose and reconstruct the discrete wind velocity time series. The stability of wavelet analysis for the wind velocity time series was also proved.

Preliminary Study on Vertical Velocity Caused by Katabatic Wind in Antarctica and Its Influence on Atmospheric Circulation

The vertical velocity at the top of Ekman layer caused by katabatic winds is proposed and deduced. By computing actual data we get a distribution of the velocities over Antarctica. The distribution plays a positive role in maintaining the cyclone and anticyclone over Antarctica.

Vertical distribution of the Kuroshio velocity in the Pollution Nagasaki section and its formative mechanism

The seasonal and interannual variations of the vertical distribution of the Kuroshio velocity and its formative mechanism were studied by analyzing the Global Ocean Reanalysis Simulation 2 （GLORYS2） dataset in the Pollution Nagasaki （PN） section （126.0°E-128.2°, at depths less than 1000 m）. The results indicated that： 1） the maximum transport in the PN section occurs in summer, followed by spring, and the minimum transport occurs in fall and winter; the maximum velocities are located at the subsurface in both winter and summer and velocities are relatively larger and at a shallower depth in summer; and the velocity core is located at the surface in spring and fall. The isopycnic line has a clear depression around the Kuroshio axis in winter. The depth of maximum velocity and the zero horizontal density gradients both exhibit substantial seasonal and interannual variations, and the interannual variations are larger. 2） The distributions of velocity and density are in accordance with the therma~ wind relation. Although Kuroshio transport is determined by the large-scale wind field and mesoscale motion in the Pacific Ocean; local heat flux and thermohaline circulation influence the density field, modify the vertical structure of the Kuroshio velocity, and adjust the allocation of water fluxes and nutrients transport. 3） Shelf-water offshore transport into the Kuroshio upper layer induced by southwest monsoons might contribute to the maximum velocity up to the surface in summer. Nonlinear and nongeostrophic processes are not considered in the present study, and the thermal wind relation accounts for part of the vertical structure of the Kuroshio velocity.

Experimental analysis of sand particles' lift-off and incident velocities in wind-blown sand flux

The probability distributions of sand particles＇ lift-off and incident velocities in a wind-blown sand flux play very important roles in the simulation of the wind-blown sand movement. In this paper, the vertical and the horizontal speeds of sand particles located at 1.0 mm above a sand-bed in a wind-blown sand flux are observed with the aid of Phase Doppler Anemometry （PDA） in a wind tunnel. Based on the experimental data, the probability distributions of not only the vertical lift-off speed but also the lift-off velocity as well as its horizontal component and the incident velocity as well as its vertical and horizontal components can be obtained by the equal distance histogram method. It is found, according to the results of the X^2-test for these probability distributions, that the probability density functions （pdf＇s） of the sand particles＇ lift-off and incident velocities as well as their vertical com- ponents are described by the Gamma density function with different peak values and shapes and the downwind incident and lift-off horizontal speeds, respectively, can be described by the lognormal and the Gamma density functions, These pdf＇s depend on not only the sand particle diameter but also the wind speed.

A Computational Model for Velocity Separation in Shallow Sea

Based on the hydrodynamical feature and the theoretical velocity profiles of tidal flow and wind-induced flow in shallow sea, a computational model is established for the first time, which can separate observed velocity into tidal velocity and wind-induced velocity by use of the least square method. With the model, not only the surface. velocities of tidal. flow and wind-induced flow are obtained, but also the bed roughness height is determined and the wind velocity above the water surface is estimated. For verification of the model, the observed velocity in the Yellow River Estuary and the laboratory test is separated, then it is applied to the Yangtze River Estuary. All the results are satisfactory. The research results show that the model is simple in method, feasible in process and reasonable in result. The model is a valid approach to analysis and computation of field data, and can be applied to separate the observed velocity in shallow sea; at the same time, reasonable boundary conditions of the surface and bottom can be obtained for two- and three-dimensional numerical simulation.

ON THE COMPUTATION OF THE VERTICAL VELOCITY AT THE TOP OF PBL IN LOW LATITUDE AREAS

This paper suggests a mcthod to eompute the verticaI velocity at the top of PBL Jn low latitude areas by use of the wind data on (sea) surfaca and some characteristics of the vcrtical velocity are shownThe results show the important rolcs played by the incrtial forces and β

Investigating the Prospect of Small-Scale Wind Turbines Based on Regional Wind Velocities in Bangladesh

The wind turbine has the advantage of operating uninterruptedly, which ensures a constant source of electricity. This investigation includes a clear overview of the wind velocity, the flow direction;the amount of energy reserved, suitable regions for wind turbine installation, etc. The feasibility and possibility of installing a wind energy conversion system for several locations in Bangladesh are analyzed. A brief study of wind characteristics in different locations in Bangladesh is reported. Wind data obtained from the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) for Mongla, Patuakhali, Kutubdia, and Bhola stations are analyzed through wind rose, frequency distribution, and average wind velocity. The performance of suitable small-scale wind turbines will be assessed in order to confirm the prospect of wind turbines in Bangladesh.

Sea Surface Roughness Derivation from Wind Speed Estimated by Satellite Altimeter

For open sea conditions the sea surface roughness is described as a function of surface stress and wind speed over sea surface by Charnock relation. The sea surface roughnessn in the North-west Pacific Ocean is derived successfully using wind speed data estimated by the TOPEX satellite altimeter. From the results we find that： （1） the mean sea surface roughness in winter is greater than in summer; （2） compared with other sea areas, the sea surface roughness in the sea area east of Japan （ N30°- 40°, E135°- 150°） is larger than in other sea areas; （3） sea surface roughness in the South China Sea changes more greatly than that in the Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea and East China Sea.

Running safety analysis of a train on the Tsing Ma Bridge under turbulent winds

The dynamic responses of the Tsing Ma suspension bridge and the running behaviors of trains on the bridge under turbulent wind actions are analyzed by a three-dimensional wind-train-bridge interaction model. This model consists of a spatial finite element bridge model, a train model composed of eight 4-axle identical coaches of 27 degrees-of-freedom, and a turbulent wind model. The fluctuating wind forces, including the buffeting forces and the self-excited forces, act on the bridge only, since the train runs inside the bridge deck. The dynamic responses of the bridge are calculated and some results are compared with data measured from Typhoon York. The runnability of the train passing through the Tsing Ma suspension bridge at different speeds is researched under turbulent winds with different wind velocities. Then, the threshold curve of wind velocity for ensuring the running safety of the train in the bridge deck is proposed, from which the allowable train speed at different wind velocities can be determined. The numerical results show that rail traffic on the Tsing Ma suspension bridge should be closed as the mean wind velocity reaches 30 m/s.

Enhancement of corona discharge induced wind generation with carbon nanotube and titanium dioxide decoration

Dip-coated double-wall carbon nanotubes(DWCNTs) and titanium dioxide(TiO2) sol have been prepared and smeared onto the tip of a conductive iron needle which serves as the corona discharge anode in a needle-cylinder corona system.Compared with the discharge electrode of a CNT-coated needle tip, great advancements have been achieved with the TiO_2/CNT-coated electrode, including higher discharge current, ionic wind velocity, and energy conversion efficiency,together with lower corona onset voltage and power consumption.Several parameters related to the discharge have been phenomenologically and mathematically studied for comparison.Thanks to the morphology reorientation of the CNT layer and the anti-oxidation of TiO_2, better performance of corona discharge induced wind generation of the TiO2/CNT-coated electrode system has been achieved.This novel decoration may provide better thoughts about the corona discharge application and wind generation.

Effect of the W-beam central guardrails on wind-blown sand deposition on desert expressways in sandy regions

Many desert expressways are affected by the deposition of the wind-blown sand,which might block the movement of vehicles or cause accidents.W-beam central guardrails,which are used to improve the safety of desert expressways,are thought to influence the deposition of the wind-blown sand,but this has yet not to be studied adequately.To address this issue,we conducted a wind tunnel test to simulate and explore how the W-beam central guardrails affect the airflow,the wind-blown sand flux and the deposition of the wind-blown sand on desert expressways in sandy regions.The subgrade model is 3.5 cm high and 80.0 cm wide,with a bank slope ratio of 1:3.The W-beam central guardrails model is 3.7 cm high,which included a 1.4-cm-high W-beam and a 2.3-cm-high stand column.The wind velocity was measured by using pitot-static tubes placed at nine different heights(1,2,3,5,7,10,15,30 and 50 cm)above the floor of the chamber.The vertical distribution of the wind-blown sand flux in the wind tunnel was measured by using the sand sampler,which was sectioned into 20 intervals.In addition,we measured the wind-blown sand flux in the field at K50 of the Bachu-Shache desert expressway in the Taklimakan Desert on 11 May 2016,by using a customized 78-cm-high gradient sand sampler for the sand flux structure test.Obstruction by the subgrade leads to the formation of two weak wind zones located at the foot of the windward slope and at the leeward slope of the subgrade,and the wind velocity on the leeward side weakens significantly.The W-beam central guardrails decrease the leeward wind velocity,whereas the velocity increases through the bottom gaps and over the top of the W-beam central guardrails.The vertical distribution of the wind-blown sand flux measured by wind tunnel follows neither a power-law nor an exponential function when affected by either the subgrade or the W-beam central guardrails.At 0.0H and 0.5H(where H=3.5 cm,which is the height of the subgrade),the sand transport is less at the 3 cm height from the subgrade surface than at the 1 and 5 cm heights as a result of obstruction by the W-beam central guardrails,and the maximum sand transportation occurs at the 5 cm height affected by the subgrade surface.The average saltation height in the presence of the W-beam central guardrails is greater than the subgrade height.The field test shows that the sand deposits on the overtaking lane leeward of the W-beam central guardrails and that the thickness of the deposited sand is determined by the difference in the sand mass transported between the inlet and outlet points,which is consistent with the position of the minimum wind velocity in the wind tunnel test.The results of this study could help us to understand the hazards of the wind-blown sand onto subgrade with the W-beam central guardrails.

A nonlinear model for aerodynamic configuration of wake behind horizontal-axis wind turbine

Determination of the aerodynamic configuration of wake is the key to analysis and evaluation of the rotor aerodynamic characteristics of a horizontal-axis wind turbine. According to the aerodynamic configuration, the real magnitude and direction of the onflow velocity at the rotor blade can be determined, and subsequently, the aerodynamic force on the rotor can be determined. The commonly employed wake aerodynamic models are of the cylindrical form instead of the actual expanding one. This is because the influence of the radial component of the induced velocity on the wake configuration is neglected. Therefore, this model should be called a "linear model". Using this model means that the induced velocities at the rotor blades and aerodynamic loads on them would be inexact. An approximately accurate approach is proposed in this paper to determine the so-called "nonlinear" wake aerodynamic configuration by means of the potential theory, where the influence of all three coordinate components of the induced velocity on wake aerodynamic configuration is taken into account to obtain a kind of expanding wake that approximately looks like an actual one. First, the rotor aerodynamic model composed of axial (central), bound, and trailing vortexes is established with the help of the finite aspect wing theory. Then, the Biot-Savart formula for the potential flow theory is used to derive a set of integral equations to evaluate the three components of the induced velocity at any point within the wake. The numerical solution to the integral equations is found, and the loci of all elementary trailing vortex filaments behind the rotor are determined thereafter. Finally, to formulate an actual wind turbine rotor, using the nonlinear wake model, the induced velocity everywhere in the wake, especially that at the rotor blade, is obtained in the case of various tip speed ratios and compared with the wake boundary in a neutral atmospheric boundary layer. Hereby, some useful and referential conclusions are offered for the aerodynamic computation and design of the rotor of the horizontal-axis wind turbine.

Effects of sand-fixing and windbreak forests on wind flow:a synthesis of results from field experiments and numerical simulations

Sand-fixing and windbreak forests are widely used to protect or/and improve the ecological environments in arid and semi-arid regions. A full understanding of wind flow characteristics is essential to arranging the patterns of these protective forests for enhancing the effectiveness. In this study, the wind velocity over the underlying surface with sand-fixing forests and windbreak forests at the heights of 1–49 m was monitored from two 50-m high observation towers in an oasis of Minqin, Gansu Province of China. The wind velocities were simulated at different locations over these protective forests between those two towers by a two-dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamics（CFD） model. The results showed that at the heights of 1–49 m, the wind velocity profiles followed a classical logarithm law at the edge of the oasis and a multilayer structure inside the oasis. With increasing number of sand-fixing forest and windbreak forest arrays, the wind velocity at the heights of 1–49 m generally decreased along the downstream direction of the prevailing wind. Specifically, below the height of windbreak forests, the wind velocity decelerates as the airflow approaches to the windbreak forests and then accelerates as the airflow passes over the windbreak forests. In contrast, above the height of windbreak forests, the wind velocity accelerates as the airflow approaches to the windbreak forests and then generally decelerates as the airflow passes over the windbreak forests. Both the array number and array spacing of sand-fixing and windbreak forests could influence the wind velocity. The wind protection effects of sand-fixing forests were closely related to the array spacing of windbreak forests and increased with the addition of sand-fixing forests when the array of the forests was adequately spaced. However, if the array spacing of windbreak forests was smaller than seven times of the heights of windbreak forests, the effects were reduced or completely masked by the effects of windbreak forests. The results could offer theoretical guidelines on how to systematically arrange the patterns of sand-fixing and windbreak forests for preventing wind erosion in the most convenient and the cheapest ways.

Effects of different poses and wind speeds on flow field of dish solar concentrator based on virtual wind tunnel experiment with constant wind

In order to improve structure performance of the dish solar concentrator,a three-dimensional model of dish solar concentrator was established based on the high-precision numerical algorithms.And a virtual wind tunnel experiment with constant wind is adopted to investigate the pressure distribution of the reflective surface,velocity distribution of the fluid domain for the dish solar concentrator in different poses and wind speeds distribution.Some results about wind pressure distribution before and after dish solar concentrator surface and wind load velocity distribution in the entire fluid domain had been obtained.In particular,it is necessary to point out that the stiffness at the center of the dish solar concentrator should be relatively raised.The results can provide a theoretical basis for the improvement of solar concentrator dish structure as well as the failure analysis of dish solar concentrator in engineering practice.