Large-eddy simulations for hill terrains: validation with wind-tunnel and field measurements

Development and validation of large-eddy simulation (LES) framework to study atmospheric boundary layer flows over complex terrains is reported here. The LES model uses the fourth-order time-accurate Runge–Kutta scheme and a fractional step method. The inflow boundary conditions are generated by using the so-called recycling (or mapping) technique. Evaluation of potential in-land wind park locations is the main application of the validated model. In this work, LES are carried out for turbulent boundary-layer flows over both simple and complex hill geometries. The prediction of the flow separation and reattachment length for a steeper wind-tunnel hill was closer to the measurements than previous numerical studies reported by other authors for the same hill geometry. For the complex hill case, the LES model showed good agreement with full-scale measurements.