Numerical ABL Wind Tunnel Simulations with Direct Modeling of Roughness Elements through Immersed Boundary Condition Method

Reproduction of atmospheric boundary layer wind tunnel experiments by numerical simulation is achieved in this work by directly modeling with immersed boundary method the geometrical elements placed in the wind tunnel's floor to induce the desired characteristics to the boundary layer.The wind tunnel has a cross section of 2.2 m x 2.25 m, with an inlet region 14 m long and a working region 2 m long. Boundary layer development is shaped up with a series of cubical elements, 3 cm in side, placed in a regular staggered arrangement with a 15 cm spacement. Vortex induction, Standen spires type elements, of 13,4 cm height, and a wall of 31.5 cm height are placed at the inlet. This arrangement is used to reproduce a representative urban site boundary layer (figure 1).The numerical model is implemented on the basis of the open source modelcaffa3d.MBRi [Usera et al 2008], which uses a finite volume method over block structured grids, coupled with various LES approaches for turbulence modeling and parallelization through domain decomposition with MPI [Mendina et al 2013]. Simulations were setup with approximately 2 million cells per block, with a 26 block arrangement. The computational grid is horizontally uniform with a resolution of 1.04 cm x 1.04 cm and nonuniform in vertical direction with the grid points concentrated near the floor . The grid spacing is geometrically stretched away from the floor with a minimum value of 1mm. The time step is 0.1 second and the computation is distributed in 26 cores on the Cluster-FING infraestructure [www.fing.edu.uy/cluster]. The Immersed boundary method approach followed the work of [Liao et al 2009]. Numerical simulation results are compared to wind tunnel measurements for the mean velocity profiles (figure 2), rms profiles and spectrums, providing good overall agreement. We conclude that the Immersed Boundary Condition method is a promising approach to numerically reproduce ABL Boundary Layer development methods used in physical modeling.Agencia Nacional de Investigación e Innovació

A Very High-Order Accurate Staggered Finite Volume Scheme for the Stationary Incompressible Navier–Stokes and Euler Equations on Unstructured Meshes

International audienceWe propose a sixth-order staggered finite volume scheme based on polynomial reconstructions to achieve high accurate numerical solutions for the incompressible Navier-Stokes and Euler equations. The scheme is equipped with a fixed-point algorithm with solution relaxation to speed-up the convergence and reduce the computation time. Numerical tests are provided to assess the effectiveness of the method to achieve up to sixth-order con-2 Ricardo Costa et al. vergence rates. Simulations for the benchmark lid-driven cavity problem are also provided to highlight the benefit of the proposed high-order scheme

Numerical Simulation of a Passive Control of the Flow Around an Aerofoil Using a Flexible, Self Adaptive Flaplet

© 2018 The Author(s) Self-activated feathers are used by almost all birds to adapt their wing characteristics to delay stall or to moderate its adverse effects (e.g., during landing or sudden increase in angle of attack due to gusts). Some of the feathers are believed to pop up as a consequence of flow separation and to interact with the flow and produce beneficial modifications of the unsteady vorticity field. The use of self adaptive flaplets in aircrafts, inspired by birds feathers, requires the understanding of the physical mechanisms leading to the mentioned aerodynamic benefits and the determination of the characteristics of optimal flaps including their size, positioning and ideal fabrication material. In this framework, this numerical study is divided in two parts. Firstly, in a simplified scenario, we determine the main characteristics that render a flap mounted on an aerofoil at high angle of attack able to deliver increased lift and improved aerodynamic efficiency, by varying its length, position and its natural frequency. Later on, a detailed direct numerical simulation analysis is used to understand the origin of the aerodynamic benefits introduced by the flaplet movement induced by the interaction with the flow field. The parametric study that has been carried out, reveals that an optimal flap can deliver a mean lift increase of about 20% on a NACA0020 aerofoil at an incidence of 20 o degrees. The results obtained from the direct numerical simulation of the flow field around the aerofoil equipped with the optimal flap at a chord Reynolds number of 2 × 10 4 shows that the flaplet movement is mainly induced by a cyclic passage of a large recirculation bubble on the aerofoil suction side. In turns, when the flap is pushed downward, the induced plane jet displaces the trailing edge vortices further downstream, away from the wing, moderating the downforce generated by those vortices and regularising the shedding cycle that appears to be much more organised when the optimal flaplet configuration is selected

LEM-3 is a midbody-tethered DNA nuclease that resolves chromatin bridges during late mitosis

Chromosome segregation and genome maintenance require the removal of DNA bridges that link chromosomes just before cells divide. Here the authors show that the LEM-3/Ankle1 nuclease processes DNA bridges before cells divide and define a previously undescribed genome integrity mechanism

Experimental Investigation and Large-Eddy Simulation of the Turbulent Flow past a Smooth and Rigid Hemisphere

Computations carried out on the German Federal Top-Level Computer SuperMUC at LRZ Munich under the contract number pr84na.International audienceThe objective of the present paper is to provide a detailed experimental and numerical investigation on the turbulent flow past a hemispherical obstacle (diameter D). For this purpose, the bluff body is exposed to a thick turbulent boundary layer of the thickness δ = D/2 at Re = 50,000. In the experiment this boundary layer thickness is achieved by specific fences placed in the upstream region of the wind tunnel. A detailed measurement of the upstream flow conditions by laser-Doppler and hot-film probes allows to mimic the inflow conditions for the complementary large-eddy simulation of the flow field using a synthetic turbulence inflow generator. These clearly defined boundary and operating conditions are the prerequisites for a combined experimental and numerical investigation of the flow field relying on the laser-Doppler anemometry and a finite-volume Navier-Stokes solver for block-structured curvilinear grids. The results comprise an analysis on the unsteady flow features observed in the vicinity of the hemisphere as well as a detailed discussion of the time-averaged flow field. The latter includes the mean velocity field as well as the Reynolds stresses. Owing to the proper description of the oncoming flow and supplementary numerical studies guaranteeing the choice of an appropriate grid and subgrid-scale model, the results of the measurements and the prediction are found to be in close agreement

Prion protein-specific antibodies that detect multiple TSE agents with high sensitivity

This paper describes the generation, characterisation and potential applications of a panel of novel anti-prion protein monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). The mAbs were generated by immunising PRNP null mice, using a variety of regimes, with a truncated form of recombinant ovine prion protein spanning residues 94–233. Epitopes of specific antibodies were mapped using solid-phase Pepscan analysis and clustered to four distinct regions within the PrP molecule. We have demonstrated the utility of these antibodies by use of Western blotting and immunohistochemistry in tissues from a range of different species affected by transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE). In comparative tests against extensively-used and widely-published, commercially available antibodies, similar or improved results can be obtained using these new mAbs, specifically in terms of sensitivity of detection. Since many of these antibodies recognise native PrPC, they could also be applied to a broad range of immunoassays such as flow cytometry, DELFIA analysis or immunoprecipitation. We are using these reagents to increase our understanding of TSE pathogenesis and for use in potential diagnostic screening assays

Amyloid Plaques Beyond Aβ: A Survey of the Diverse Modulators of Amyloid Aggregation

Aggregation of the amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide is strongly correlated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Recent research has improved our understanding of the kinetics of amyloid fibril assembly and revealed new details regarding different stages in plaque formation. Presently, interest is turning toward studying this process in a holistic context, focusing on cellular components which interact with the Aβ peptide at various junctures during aggregation, from monomer to cross-β amyloid fibrils. However, even in isolation, a multitude of factors including protein purity, pH, salt content, and agitation affect Aβ fibril formation and deposition, often producing complicated and conflicting results. The failure of numerous inhibitors in clinical trials for AD suggests that a detailed examination of the complex interactions that occur during plaque formation, including binding of carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids, and metal ions, is important for understanding the diversity of manifestations of the disease. Unraveling how a variety of key macromolecular modulators interact with the Aβ peptide and change its aggregation properties may provide opportunities for developing therapies. Since no protein acts in isolation, the interplay of these diverse molecules may differentiate disease onset, progression, and severity, and thus are worth careful consideration

Simulation of Receptivity and Induced Transition From Discrete Roughness Elements

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10494-015-9636-yDordrecht Simulations have been carried out to predict the receptivity and growth of crossflow vortices created by Discrete Roughness Elements (DREs) The final transition to turbulence has also been examined, including the effect of DRE spacing and freestream turbulence. Measurements by Hunt and Saric (2011) of perturbation mode shape at various locations were used to validate the code in particular for the receptivity region. The WALE sub-grid stress (SGS) model was adopted for application to transitional flows, since it allows the SGS viscosity to vanish in laminar regions and in the innermost region of the boundary layer when transition begins. Simulations were carried out for two spanwise wavelengths: λ= 12mm (critical) and λ= 6mm (control) and for roughness heights (k) from 12 μm to 42 μm. The base flow considered was an ASU (67)-0315 aerofoil with 45 ⁰ sweep at -2.9 ⁰ incidence and with onset flow at a chord-based Reynolds number Re <inf>c</inf>= 2.4x10 ⁶. For λ= 12mm results showed, in accord with the experimental data, that the disturbance amplitude growth rate was linear for k = 12 μm and 24 μm, but the growth rate was decreased for k = 36 μm Receptivity to λ= 6mm roughness showed equally good agreement with experiments, indicating that this mode disappeared after a short distance to be replaced by a critical wavelength mode. Analysis of the development of modal disturbance amplitudes with downstream distance showed regions of linear, non-linear, saturation, and secondary instability behaviour. Examination of breakdown to turbulence revealed two possible routes: the first was 2D-like transition (probably Tollmien-Schlichting waves even in the presence of crossflow vortices) when transition occurred beyond the pressure minimum; the second was a classical crossflow vortex secondary instability, leading to the formation of a turbulent wedge