Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulation of High-Resolution Spatial Distribution of Sensible Heat Fluxes in Building-Congested Area

Abstract

Urban areas consist of various land cover types, with a high proportion of artificial surfaces among them. This leads to unfavorable thermal environments in urban areas. Continuous research on the thermal environment, specifically on the sensible heat flux (Qh), has been conducted. However, previous research has faced temporal, spatial, and resolution limitations when it comes to detailed analysis of sensible heat flux in urban areas. Therefore, in this study, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model combined with the LDAPS and the VUCM was developed to simulate Qh at one-hour intervals over a 1-month period in an urban area with various land cover types. Model validation was performed by comparing it with measurements, confirming the suitability of the model for simulating Qh. The land cover was categorized into five types: building, road, bare land, grassland, and tree areas. Qh exhibited distinct patterns depending on the land cover type. When averaging the Qh distribution over the target period, buildings, roads, and bare land areas showed a predominance of upward Qh values, while grassland and tree areas displayed dominant downward Qh values. Additionally, even within the same land cover types, slight Qh variations were identified based on their surroundings. The averaged Qh value for building areas was the highest at 36.79 W m−2, while that for tree areas was −3.04 W m−2. Moreover, during the target period, the time-averaged Qh showed that building, road, and bare land areas peaked at 14 LST, while grassland and tree areas exhibited very low Qh values. Notably, buildings reached a maximum Qh of 103.30 W m−2 but dropped to a minimum of 1.14 W m−2 at 5 LST.

Keywords

• computational fluid dynamics
• sensible heat flux
• urban area
• thermal environment
• land cover