• Wind and Structures
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.479-496
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• 2008

In this paper, computer simulation of wind flow around a single cooling tower with louver support at the base in the KAZERUN power station in south part of IRAN is presented as a case study. ANSYS FLOTRAN, an unstructured finite element incompressible flow solver, is used for numerical investigation of wind induced pressure load on a single cooling tower. Since the effects of the wind ribs on external surface of the cooling tower shell which plays important role in formation of turbulent flow field, an innovative relation is introduced for modeling the effects of wind ribs on computation of wind pressure on cooling tower's shell. The introduced relation which follows the concept of equivalent sand roughness for the wall function is used in conjunction with two equations ${\kappa}-{\varepsilon}$ turbulent model. In this work, the effects of variation in the height/spacing ratio of external wind ribs are numerically investigated. Conclusions are made by comparison between computed pressure loads on external surface of cooling tower and the VGB (German guideline for cooling tower design) suggestions.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.389-404
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• 2019

In coastal regions, it is common to witness significant damages on low-rise buildings caused by hurricanes and other extreme wind events. These damages start at high pressure zones or weak building components, and then cascade to other building parts. The state-of-the-art in experimental and numerical aerodynamic load evaluation is to assume buildings with intact envelopes where wind acts only on the external walls and correct for internal pressure through separate aerodynamic studies. This approach fails to explain the effect of openings on (i) the external pressure, (ii) internal partition walls; and (iii) the load sharing between internal and external walls. During extreme events, non-structural components (e.g., windows, doors or rooftiles) could fail allowing the wind flow to enter the building, which can subject the internal walls to lateral loads that potentially can exceed their load capacities. Internal walls are typically designed for lower capacities compared to external walls. In the present work, an anticipated damage development scenario is modelled for a four-story building with a stepped gable roof. LES is used to examine the change in the internal and external wind flows for different level of assumed damages (starting from an intact building up to a case with failure in most windows and doors are observed). This study demonstrates that damages in non-structural components can increase the wind risk on the structural elements due to changes in the loading patterns. It also highlights the load sharing mechanisms in low rise buildings.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.66 no.2
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• pp.273-283
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• 2018

Currently, the dynamic amplification effect of suction is described using the wind vibration coefficient (WVC) of external loads. In other words, it is proposed that the fluctuating characteristics of suction are equivalent to external loads. This is, however, not generally valid. Meanwhile, the effects of the ventilation rate of louver on suction and its WV are considered. To systematically analyze the effects of the ventilation rate of louver on the multi-dimensional WVC of ultra-large cooling towers under suctions, the 210 m ultra-large cooling tower under construction was studied. First, simultaneous rigid pressure measurement wind tunnel tests were executed to obtain the time history of fluctuating wind loads on the external surface and the internal surface of the cooling tower at different ventilation rates (0%, 15%, 30%, and 100%). Based on that, the average values and distributions of fluctuating wind pressures on external and internal surfaces were obtained and compared with each other; a tower/pillar/circular foundation integrated simulation model was developed using the finite element method and complete transient time domain dynamics of external loads and four different suctions of this cooling tower were calculated. Moreover, 1D, 2D, and 3D distributions of WVCs under external loads and suctions at different ventilation rates were obtained and compared with each other. The WVCs of the cooling tower corresponding to four typical response targets (i.e., radial displacement, meridional force, Von Mises stress, and circumferential bending moment) were discussed. Value determination and 2D evaluation of the WVCs of external loads and suctions of this large cooling tower at different ventilation rates were proposed. This study provides references to precise prediction and value determination of WVC of ultra-large cooling towers.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.1-23
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• 2015

Wind tunnel testing of a low-rise building with openings (holes) of different sizes and shapes on a roof corner is conducted to measure the internal and external pressures from the building model. Detailed analysis of the testing data is carried out to investigate the characteristics of the internal and external pressures of the building with different openings' configurations. Superimposition of the internal and external pressures makes the emergence of positive net pressures on the roof. The internal pressures demonstrate an overall uniform distribution. The probability density function (PDF) of the internal pressures is close to the Gaussian distribution. Compared with the PDF of the external pressures, the non-Gaussian characteristics of the net pressures weakened. The internal pressures exhibit strong correlation in frequency domain. There appear two humps in the spectra of the internal pressures, which correspond to the Helmholtz frequency and vortex shedding frequency, respectively. But, the peak for the vortex shedding frequency is offset for the net pressures. Furthermore, the internal pressure characteristics indirectly reflect that the length of the front edge enhances the development of the conical vortices.The objective of this study aims to further understanding of the characteristics of internal, external and net pressures for low-rise buildings in an effort to reduce wind damages to residential buildings.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.219-229
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• 2020

Net pressures on roofs and walls of buildings are dependent on the internal and external pressure fluctuations. The variation of internal and external pressures are influenced by the size and location of the openings. The correlation of external and internal pressure influences the net pressures acting on cladding on different parts of the roof and walls. The peak internal and peak external pressures do not occur simultaneously, therefore, a reduction can be applied to the peak internal and external pressures to obtain a peak net pressure for cladding design. A 1:200 scale wind tunnel model study was conducted to determine the correlations of external and internal pressures and effective reduction to net pressures (i.e., net pressure factors, F_C) for roof and wall cladding. The results show that external and internal pressures on the windward roof and wall edges are well correlated. The largest ${\mathcal{C}}_{{\check{p},net}$, highest correlation coefficient and the highest F_C are obtained for different wind directions within 90° ≤ θ ≤ 135°, where the large openings are on the windward wall. The study also gives net pressure factors F_C for areas on the roof and wall cladding for nominally sealed buildings and the buildings with a large windward wall opening. These factors indicate that a 5% to 10% reduction to the action combination factor, K_C specified in AS/NZS 1170.2(2011) is possible for some critical design scenarios.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.433-449
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• 2010

Wind tunnel model tests were conducted for a residential apartment block located within the complex terrain of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). The test building is typical of medium-rise residential buildings in Hong Kong. The model study was conducted using modelling techniques and assumptions that are commonly used to predict design wind loads and pressures for buildings sited in regions of significant topography. Results for the building model with and without the surrounding topography were compared to investigate the effects of far-field and near-field topography on wind characteristics at the test building site and wind-induced external pressure coefficients at key locations on the building facade. The study also compared the wind tunnel test results to topographic multipliers and external pressure coefficients determined from nine international design standards. Differences between the external pressure coefficients stipulated in the various standards will be exacerbated when they are combined with the respective topographic multipliers.

• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.283-290
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• 2019

Corner cut, corner chamfered or a building shape change are adopted in the design of tall buildings to achieve aerodynamic superiority as well as response reduction. Kikuchi et.al pointed out that large negative peak external pressures can appear near the inside corner of set-back low rise buildings. It is therefore necessary to pay attention to facade design around steps in building surfaces. Peak wind pressures for corner cut or corner chamfered configurations are given in the AIJ code. However, they cannot be applied where there are many variations of vertical and horizontal steps. There has been no previous systematic research on peak wind pressures around steps in building surfaces. In this study, detailed phenomenon of peak wind pressures around steps in buildings are investigated focusing on vertical and horizontal distances from the building's corner.

• International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sciences
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.68-74
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• 2000

A comparative wind tunnel testing of an airplane model was performed at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute Low Speed Wind tunnel(KARI LSWT). The model used for the comparative test was a seaplane model from the Glenn L. Martin Wind(GLM) Tunnel of University of Maryland, U.S.A. The 6-component external balance used in force and moment measurement is pyramidal type, which is a precision device that has strain gauge-type load cell inside of balance and the virtual center of the balance coincides with the tunnel centerline. Image method is adopted to eliminate the tare and interference of the model support, and to correct the flow angularity to the model also. Test results from KARI LSWT were compared with the results from GLM tunnel.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2009.06a
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• pp.480-485
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• 2009

Offshore wind energy is gaining more attention. Ensuring proper design of offshore wind turbines and wind farms require knowledge of the external conditions in which the turbines and associated facilities are to operate. In this work, a three-bladed 5MW upwind wind turbine, which is supported by the monopile foundation, is studied by use of fully coupled aero-hydro-servo-elastic commercial simulation tool, 'GH-Bladed'$^{(R)}$. Specification of the structures are chosen from the OC3 (Offshore Code Comparison Collaboration) under "IEA Wind Annex XXIII-subtask2". The primary external conditions due to wind and waves are simulated. Design Load case 5.2 is investigated in this work. The steady state power curve and power production loads are evaluated. Comparison between different codes is made.

• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.56 no.5
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• pp.854-859
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• 2007

A wind farm consists of many wind generator(WG)s therefore, it is generally a complex power system. A wind farm as a distributed generation(DG) affects utility power system. If a conventional protection schemes are applied, it is difficult to detect faults correctly and the schemes can't provide proper coordination in some cases. This paper presents a protection algorithm for a wind farm which consists of a looped collection circuit. Because the proposed algorithm can distinguish between an internal fault and an external fault in a wind farm, The proposed algorithm can disconnect the faulted section in a wind farm. This algorithm is based on an overcurrent protection technique with the change of the ratio of the output current of a generator to the current of the looped line connected to each generator to collect the each generator's power. In addition, operating time of the algorithm is shortened by using the voltage drop at a generator collection point. The performance of the proposed algorithm was verified under various fault conditions using PSCAD/EMTDC simulations.