Large Scale Urban Contaminant Transport Simulations With Miles

Abstract

Airborne contaminant transport in cities presents challenging new requirements for computational fluid dynamics. The unsteady flow involves very complex geometry and insufficiently characterized boundary conditions, and yet the challenging and timely nature of the overall problem demands that the turbulence be included efficiently with an absolute minimum of extra memory and computing time requirements. This paper describes the monotone integrated large eddy simulation methodology used in NRL’s FAST3D-CT (CT is contaminant transport) simulation model for urban CT and focuses on critical validation issues that need to be addressed to achieve practical predictability. Progress in validation studies benchmarking with flow data from wind-tunnel urban model simulations and actual urban field studies are reported. Despite inherent physical uncertainties and current model tradeoffs, it is clearly possible to achieve some degree of reliable prediction.