Phys. Chem.Earth(B),Vol. 26, No. 10, pp.

839-842, 2001
Pergamon © 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd.
All rights reserved
1464-1909/01/$ - see front matter
PII: S 1464-1909(01)00095-8

LINCOM Wind Flow Model: Application to Complex Terrain with Thermal

Stratification

E Dunkerley ~, J. Moreno 1, T. Mikkelsen ~ and I. H. Griffiths ~

~Department of Wind Energy and Atmospheric Physics, Riso National Laboratory, Roskilde, DK-4000, Denmark
2DERA, Porton Down, Salisbury, UK

Received 30 June 2000; accepted 14 December 2000

Abstract. LINCOM is a fast linearised and spectral wind 2. Model Description

flow model for use over hilly terrain. It is designed to rap-
idly generate mean wind field predictions which provide For all the LINCOM models, a simplified, linearised ver-
input to atmospheric dispersion models and wind engineer- sion of the Navier-Stokes equations is used, and Fourier
ing applications. The thermal module, LINCOM-T, has Transform techniques applied, to generate equations which
recently been improved to provide reasonably robust results can be solved without iteration using analytical techniques.
over a range of stability conditions. The results predicted In' LINCOM-T, thermal effects are accounted for by speci-
for idealised terrain only are presented here. Meteorological fying the form of the potential temperature field, 0". Hence
data used to initialise the model are normally obtained from
0" is a flow parameter, not 'a variable, and the energy equa-
measurements or from outputs from larger scale numerical
models. These standard data types have therefore been used tion is not used. W e further assume that 0" can be written in
to calculate the meteorological parameters required by terms of a perturbation to a background value, O, where the
LINCOM-T. The effect of the formulation of these pa- perturbation is expressed in variable separable form such
rameters on the perturbed velocity field has been investi- that:
gated in detail. © 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved O(x, y,z) = ze -z/~ (1)
The constants "t"and A, are discussed in more detail in Sec-
tion 3.
Figure 1 shows the potential temperature perturbation
profile over terrain and indicates the notation used for the
1. Introduction terrain following and Cartesian co-ordinate systems. Equa-
tion (1) can then be expressed in Cartesian form and the
The LINCOM family of wind flow models currently in- horizontally Fourier transformed, governing equations for
cludes a neutral hill (Troen and de Baas, 1986) and rough-
the model become (assuming y = SSfeikx+imYdxdy)
ness model (LINCOM-Z0) (Astrup et al., 1996) and a ther-
mal model (LINCOM-T) (Moreno et al., 1994). LINCOM-
Z0 has been widely used in atmospheric dispersion model- (iklU + ik2V)~ + ik 1~ + K ~ =0
ling and wind engineering applications. Recent work has Ox3
concentrated on developing an operational version of (iklU + ik2V)F + ik2p + K ~ =0
LINCOM-T which requires few input parameters and Ox3 (2)
maintains model speed. A description of the model equa-
~ ~ iN1U +ik2V)Tv+ Ofi O? 02w g
tions and their numerical implementation is presented here. ox3 - K - -OX32 °
0
The parameterisation.of flow parameters from limited input
data is also an important process within the model. _i(kl~ +ik2~. ) + Ow = 0
OX3

where u,v and w are the velocity perturbations; kl and k2,

Correspondence to: Fay Dunkerley the horizontal wavenumbers; and p, the hill induced pres-
sure perturbation.
This equation set differs slightly from previous derivations
(Moreno et al., 1994), in that we have included an addi-
tional equilibrium pressure term, P, to satisfy the condition
that w=0 upstream of the terrain.
840 E Dunkerley et al.: LINCOM Wind Flow Model
X3 Z The full solution to the flow over terrain with thermal
0(z)
r
Fig. 1. Profile of potential temperature perturbation over terrain. (Dashed
line indicates isotherm.)
If we consider U(= (U,V,0)) and K to be constants, speci-
fied at some representative scale height (zsc~le), Eqs.(2) form
a set of 2 nd order linear differential equations which can
then be simply solved subject to full "no-slip" conditions on
the terrain. The particular component of the solution has the
form
~ = gA __ikjff e- x3/4
ujer 0 (i(klU+k2V)+K/22)
with j=l,2 for the horizontal velocity perturbations u and v,
respectively.
The form of the perturbed solution from Eq.(3) depends
upon the denominator and therefore also on U and K. We
have chosen z ~ = 1 0 m to be representative of vertical
scales of diffusion but this is still subject to some sensitivity
analysis. Since a numerical Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) is
used, the zero wavenumber component (k1 = k 2 = 0) of the
solution must be calculated separately and added to the
spectral solution ( k l , k 2 > knfm = L / 2 ~ for domain length,
L). In LINCOM-T this is done by applying convolution
methods to obtain a solution in real space. In fact we can
write the zero wavenumber component of the coefficient to
the exponential in Eq.(3) as
--~-¢j 1 - e- u,~2
-
where ~j = ikjff and ~ y is the average over the length
of the model domain in the mean wind direction in real
space. The exact form of Eq.(4) depends on the mean wind
direction. The solution over a Gaussian hill has been used
to analyse the contribution of the various terms and the
results are presented in Section 4.
Another effect of the FFT is that the solution to Eqs.(2) is
periodic. The solution domain is thus expanded horizon-
tally, to allow smooth matching of the terrain at the up-
stream and downstream boundaries, and to avoid unphysical
model responses influencing the solution in the original
domain.
stratification is obtained by using the linearity of the system
to add the solution to the thermal problem, described above,
to the output from LINCOM-Z0. This ensures that all
boundary conditions are satisfied.
3. Input parameters
Meteorological data from on-site measurements or larger
scale numerical models are normally used to initialise
X LINCOM-Z0. With this in mind, we have chosen to mini-
mise the input requirements so that only a background
wind ( U ) and Monin-Obukhov lengthscale (Lmo) are neces-
sary. Surface roughness and terrain data must also be speci-
fied.
Scaling arguments are then employed to determine the
thermal parameters ~" and Z . Under unstable conditions,
Lmo < 0, we use (Wyngaard et al., 1974)
Z = -lOLmo (S)
(3) r:', <6,
L kz0) gmoJJ
2
U,
where 0, - and q~m is the standard stability
~¢(g / T)Lmo
function (Panofsky and Dutton, 1984) which is used to
modify the logarithmic velocity profile for stability effects.
A large value of Z results in high frequency type flow
components in the solution which are on a too small a scale
for the range of application of LINCOM-T. To avoid this a
limiting value of Z equivalent to the highest wavenumber
(approx. 2AX for horizontal grid spacing AX ) is imposed.
For the stable case, Lmo > O, we equate X with boundary
layer depth and make use of the Richardson number to
obtain (Jensen, 1999)
A = Bu~,Lmo (7)
(4) r = ~I,2U,2 (l/X + 5 / t m o ) 2 (8)
A(Lmo + 5Z)
c2
where A = gt¢----~2, B - - for Coriolis parameter, f, and c
O f
is a constant which is fixed in the Code. Currently c=0.4 is
used. Z is limited in the same way as in the unstable case.
Figure 2 shows "t" as a function of Lmo. The background
wind has been allowed to vary with Lmo. U enters Eqs.(6)
and (8) via the friction velocity u.. As can be seen from
Eq.(3), the model solution has a complex dependence
on 2 , whereas "t" appears only as a multiplying factor.
 E Dunkerleyet al.: LINCOMWind Flow Model
10"--= • unstable
,1. stable
1-
o a separate contribution to the solution, there is a range of
t-,
0.1-
0.01
........ I ........ I ........
0.001 0.01 0.1
I1/Lmol (m "1)
Fig.2. x(U) and correspondingU as a function of 1_~,. Bold
symbols denote x; blank symbols U.
4. Results
4.1 Run conditions
The results presented in this section are for a Gaussian hill
of maximum height 100m and standard deviation 1000m.
Terrain data were provided on a regular 64x64 grid with
points 100m apart. This grid was then "buffered" to
128x128 points at the same spacing, as a 2"x2 n grid is re-
quired for the FFT. The enlarged grid was found to be suffi-
cient to avoid distortion of the flow solution in the original
domain. Several combinations of background wind speed
and Lmo were tested with a fixed wind direction of 270 °
(westerly). The pairings were selected to cover a wide
range of possible flow regimes and do not relate directly to
other standard stability class definitions. They are also
those used in Fig.2.
4.2 Velocity perturbations
Predicted velocity perturbations, normalised by the back-
ground wind speed are shown in Figs.3(a-f). Under strongly
unstable conditions (Fig.3(a)), a diffusive solution is seen.
The advective component becomes more important as con-
ditions tend to neutral and diffusion dominates again in the
stable regime (Fig3.(e-f)). The influence of "t" on the mag-
nitude of the perturbations, which follow the pattern shown
in Fig.2. For some solutions (e.g. Fig.3(e)), the maximum
predicted speed-up is greater than that generally permissible
in linear theory. However, this is not necessarily inconsis-
tent where there is a diffusive element as the diffusive terms
in Eqs.(2) are not themselves linearised.
The results can be explained in terms of Eqs.(3) and (4) in
Section 2. It is the relative size of the terms in the denomi-
nator of Eq.(3) which determines the shape of the solution.
The ratio K / U 2 , 2 (V=0 for westerly wind) is a stability
dependent function and its components all have different
formulations for Lmo < 0 and Lmo > 0 . When this ratio is
greater than the wavenumber k~ in Fourier
841
solution is diffusion dominated. Otherwise advection domi-
nates. The model equations indicate an advective regime
close to neutral and a diffusive regime as g-tool decreases,
although for the stable case diffusion dominates over a more
limited range. Excluding the k 1 = 0 case, f o r which there is
wavenumbers limited by zc / AX and 2zc / NAX and both
regimes contribute in this region. These flow effects can
also be seen in Figs.3(a-f) .However, both U and Lmo must
be specified for a model run, so we could in fact plot
K / U 2 2 as a function of Lmo for all possible U. The results
I presented here are therefore only examples of the possible
1
flow regimes.
From Eq.(4) it can be seen that the contribution from the
zero wavenumber component also depends on K/U~, 2 . For
the Gaussian hill, in the diffusive limit, Eq.(4) reduces to
),2~/K, which is non zero because the average is taken
over a finite length. More generally as we move away from
the diffusive limit, there is an onset value at the start of the
domain resulting from the adjustment of the flow to a region
of non-zero mean. Also, the contribution from the exponen-
tial term increases. The magnitude of this component is not
necessarily insignificant compared with the spectral part of
the solution. In the advective limit Eq.(4) takes the form
¢(X-Xrm)/U and, with the spectral component, this
generates the error function for the crosswind velocity per-
turbation. This limiting form can also be determined ana-
lytically and gives the classic wake region behind the hill.
5. Summary and Conclusions
A fast, operational model has been developed which re-
quires limited input data and predicts the perturbations to
the mean wind field over modest hilly terrain with thermal
stratification. The results can be explained in terms of the
theory, although they are sensitive to the input combinations
of Lmo and U. Further testing of the model is required to
compare the predictions to experimental data.
References
Astrup, P; Jensen, N.O.; Mikkelsen, T. (1997): A fast model for mean and
turbulent wind characteristics over terrain with mixed surfaceroughness.
Radiat. Prot. Dosim. (1997) 73,257-260.
Jensen, N.O. (1999): Personal communication.Rise National Laboratory.
Moreno, J.; Sempreviva, A.M.; Mikkelsen, T.; Lai, G.; Kamada, R.
(1994): A spectral diagnostic model for wind flow simulation: extension to
thermal forcing. In: Air Pollution H Volume 1: Computer Simulation. Vol.
1. (Eds: Baldasano, JM; Brebbia, CA; Power, H; Zannetti, P) Computa-
tional Mechanics Publications.
Panofsky~H.A.; Dutton, J.A. (1984): Atmosphericturbulence. John Wiley
& Sons, USA.
Troen,I .; de Baas, A. (1986): A spectral diagnostic model for wind flow
simulation in complex terrain. European Wind Energy Association Con-
ference and Exhibition 7-9 October 1986. Rome - Italy.
Wyngaard, J,C.; Arya, P.S.; Cote, O.R. (1974): Some aspects of the
structure of convectiveboundary layers. J. Atmos. Sciences. 31,747-
space, then the
842 E Dunkerley etal.: LINCOMWind Flow Model
4000 4000
• • • • • • e • II B O • • • •
.... :::::::;;;;;]
• • • • • • • • • O • • • • •

t , Q Q
2000- 2000- t Q Q t

•......i • ,,...i...
A
E E 0-

-2000- -2000-
• . . . . • It It O e • .. ., •

• • • • • • I) • • • • • • • •
-4000 -4000 I I I
I
-4000 -~ooo ~ 2o'00 4000 -4000 -2000 0 2000 4000
(m) (m)
(a/Lmo=-5m. I I=1 m/.~. maxu/l 1=0.4 (d) Lmo= 100m, U=4ngs, maxu/U--0.2

4000 4000
o e o o e o e g O O O O g # •
. . . s s ¢ l l l l l e !
e e e o o e e e o o o O d O •

• e •

2000- ' ' ~ 1 ' ' ' 2000-

A A
E 0- o-

-2000- -2000-
. . . ~ | I o .
" • o o • # # # # l l l l
e e e e o O O 0 0

o o o o I o / 8 | I I $ 1 o e o o e O • O 0 4 4 •
-4000 ! ! ! -4000 I
-4000 -2000 0 2000 4000 -4000 -2000 2000 4000
(m) (m)
(b~Lmn=-lOm. ll=2m/s, ma×~lI=0.9 (e) Lmo=10m, U=2m/s, maxu/U=0.4

4000 • • • , 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 1 4
• 4000
e e o o e e e o O e O O e o o

• • * • Q ~ 4 4 4 4 4 4 ~ 1 1 e e o • O O O • O

e e e e o e e Q Q

2OOO-

!i 2000-

g O-

-20011.-
• • t ql II, t 't
A
E

-2000-
0-

• •
-N
• * • • o # # # #
;T: :
D O O I O B I I Q ~ U ~

• • • • • • • • • • • • • d 0 e o O O O O O O O Q Q O Q S •
-4000 I i .4000
-4000 -2ooo ~ 2000 4000 -4000 '
-2000 ~ 2o'00 4000

(m) (m)

(c/Lmo=- 100m. l l=4m/s, maxu/I 1=0.2 (f~ Lmo= 10m. l 1=1 m/s. maxu/l I=O. 1

Fig.3(a-f) normalised predicted velocity perturbations at I 0m above ground over a gaussian hill with westerly wind for a range of stability
and background wind speed combinations.