Editorial Type:
Article
Article Type:
Research Article

The Collection Efficiency of Shielded and Unshielded Precipitation Gauges. Part I: CFD Airflow Modeling

Matteo Colli Department of Civil, Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Genoa, and WMO–CIMO Lead Centre “B.Castelli” on Precipitation Intensity, Genoa, Italy

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Luca G. Lanza Department of Civil, Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Genoa, and WMO–CIMO Lead Centre “B.Castelli” on Precipitation Intensity, Genoa, Italy

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Roy Rasmussen National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado

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Julie M. Thériault Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Quebec at Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

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Print Publication:
01 Jan 2016
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1175/JHM-D-15-0010.1
Page(s):
231–243
Restricted access

Abstract

The aerodynamic response of snow gauges when exposed to the wind is responsible for a significant reduction of their collection performance. The modifications induced by the gauge and the windshield onto the space–time patterns of the undisturbed airflow deviate the snowflake trajectories. In Part I, the disturbed air velocity field in the vicinity of shielded and unshielded gauge configurations is investigated. In Part II, the airflow is the basis for a particle tracking model of snowflake trajectories to estimate the collection efficiency. A Geonor T-200B gauge inside a single Alter shield is simulated for wind speeds varying from 1 to 8 m s−1. Both time-averaged and time-dependent computational fluid dynamics simulations are performed, based on Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) and large-eddy simulation (LES) models, respectively. A shear stress tensor k–Ω model (where k is the turbulent kinetic energy and Ω is the turbulent specific dissipation rate) is used for the RANS formulation and solved within a finite-volume method. The LES is implemented with a Smagorinsky subgrid-scale method that models the subgrid stresses as a gradient-diffusion process. The RANS simulations confirm the attenuation of the airflow velocity above the gauge when using a single Alter shield, but the generated turbulence above the orifice rim is underestimated. The intensity and spatial extension of the LES-resolved turbulent region show a dependency on the wind speed that was not detected by the RANS. The time-dependent analysis showed the propagation of turbulent structures and the impact on the turbulent kinetic energy above the gauge collecting section.

Corresponding author address: Matteo Colli, Department of Civil, Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Genoa, Via Montallegro 1, CAP 16145 Genoa, Italy. E-mail: matteo.colli@unige.it

Abstract

The aerodynamic response of snow gauges when exposed to the wind is responsible for a significant reduction of their collection performance. The modifications induced by the gauge and the windshield onto the space–time patterns of the undisturbed airflow deviate the snowflake trajectories. In Part I, the disturbed air velocity field in the vicinity of shielded and unshielded gauge configurations is investigated. In Part II, the airflow is the basis for a particle tracking model of snowflake trajectories to estimate the collection efficiency. A Geonor T-200B gauge inside a single Alter shield is simulated for wind speeds varying from 1 to 8 m s−1. Both time-averaged and time-dependent computational fluid dynamics simulations are performed, based on Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) and large-eddy simulation (LES) models, respectively. A shear stress tensor k–Ω model (where k is the turbulent kinetic energy and Ω is the turbulent specific dissipation rate) is used for the RANS formulation and solved within a finite-volume method. The LES is implemented with a Smagorinsky subgrid-scale method that models the subgrid stresses as a gradient-diffusion process. The RANS simulations confirm the attenuation of the airflow velocity above the gauge when using a single Alter shield, but the generated turbulence above the orifice rim is underestimated. The intensity and spatial extension of the LES-resolved turbulent region show a dependency on the wind speed that was not detected by the RANS. The time-dependent analysis showed the propagation of turbulent structures and the impact on the turbulent kinetic energy above the gauge collecting section.

Corresponding author address: Matteo Colli, Department of Civil, Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Genoa, Via Montallegro 1, CAP 16145 Genoa, Italy. E-mail: matteo.colli@unige.it
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Journal of Hydrometeorology

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