Collaborative Research: Transport and mixing processes in turbulent boundary layers over ground-elevated surface roughness

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Flows over heterogeneous surfaces and over different types of roughness have been extensively studied primarily for drag purposes. However, very little is known about the transport of mass momentum, heat and associated drag occurring in flows over ground-elevated surface roughness, named e-type roughness. This is critical for numerous engineering applications and of particular interest in solar photovoltaics. This is because convective cooling plays a critical role in controlling solar photovoltaics efficiency, and accounting for the right wind loads is important when designing new installations. The goal of this project is to investigate how different spatial arrangements of the ground-elevated surface roughness control mixing processes and flow structures in the flow. The ultimate question is whether it is possible to manipulate the mixing and drag characteristics in the flow through the proposed arrangements. Results of this project will enhance solar photovoltaics energy harvesting efficiency, thereby directly impacting the solar energy community and helping transition the U.S. into meeting the goal of becoming carbon neutral in a shorter period of time. The project will also encompass significant educational activities, including summer exchange programs for the graduate students, training on how to effectively communicate science content to the general public, and the development of training videos for the solar energy community.The goal of this project is to develop new understanding about mixing processes that result from the perturbations induced by ground-elevated (e-type) surface roughness and thermal spanwise heterogeneities. The scientific outcomes of this research will include enhancement of the current knowledge related to mixing processes over complex surfaces taking place when both turbulence and thermal forcings are simultaneously present and development of new scaling relations that include the effect of heated and non-heated photovoltaics-inspired ground-elevated surface roughness elements. The objectives of this project will be fulfilled through a synergistic effort including innovative high-resolution large-eddy simulations (LES) and particle image velocimetry in scaled wind tunnel experiments. The wind tunnel experiments will provide instantaneous velocity fields which will be used to compute the budget of vorticity, thus quantifying the momentum exchanges. The LES will also provide the instantaneous temperature fields which will also contribute to the balance, accounting for thermal effects. This analysis will facilitate understanding the factors contributing to the formation of secondary circulations in elevated roughness elements. In addition to the new understanding that will be developed in fluid mechanics, the proposed research will also yield critical information to guide the design of future solar photovoltaic farms.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.