Computational Study on Complex Wind Field Environments in Urban and Marine Low-Altitude Based on Multi-Wind-Turbine Coordination

Abstract

With the rise of the low-altitude economy, there is growing demand for performance and safety evaluation of logistics drones and urban aircraft operating in complex turbulent environments. Conventional wind tunnels, however, face challenges in simulating the non-uniform wind fields characteristic of urban low-altitude conditions, such as building wake flows, street canyon winds, and tornadoes. To address this gap, this study proposes a novel simulation device for low-altitude complex wind fields, which utilizes multi-fan coordinated control technology integrated with jet fan arrays, pressure-stabilizing chambers, and swirl fan systems to dynamically replicate horizontal flows, vertical flows, and specialized wind patterns. Numerical simulations using Ansys Icepak validate the effectiveness of the design: the optimized horizontal flow field achieves a wind speed of 83 m/s with a turbulence intensity ranging from 5% to 20%; the gust mode attains rapid response within 3 s; and high-fidelity simulations are achieved for wind shear, tornadoes (with a maximum tangential wind speed of 50 m/s), and downbursts (with a central vertical jet velocity of 40 m/s). Furthermore, for typical urban wind environments such as alley winds and intersection flows, the study elucidates the characteristics of abrupt wind speed variations and vortex dynamics induced by building obstructions. This research provides a new perspective and a potential technical pathway for testing low-altitude aircraft, assessing urban wind environments, and supporting related studies, thereby contributing to the advancement of complex wind field simulation technologies.

Affiliated Institutions

• University of Electronic Science and Technology of China CN
• Beihang University CN

Related Publications