Numerical simulation of turbulent flows

This area focuses on the development and application of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques to simulate complex turbulent flows. A core aspect is the extensive use of Large-Eddy Simulation (LES), also coupled with the One-Dimensional Turbulence (ODT) wall model. This coupled LES-ODT approach (Freire 2022, Bound.-Layer Meteorol.) allows for high-resolution near-wall turbulence within larger computational domains, which is crucial for geophysical flows like the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL).

Channel flow (left), jet flow (right), both from LES

Atmospheric boundary-layer dynamics and turbulent transport

This area encompasses the study of the structure and evolution of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL), and the transport and dispersion of various atmospheric substances within it. This includes investigating the influence of vegetation and topography on turbulence characteristics.

Yearly averaged eddy diﬀusivity within the canopy for the Amazon rainforest estimated from measured data (Freire et al. 2017, JGR Atmospheres)

Turbulence characterization through mathematical tools

This area focuses on fundamental characterization of turbulence, including investigating large-scale coherent structures (e.g. spectral proper orthogonal decomposition and resolvent analysis), and generating synthetic data to understand the impact of random errors on turbulence statistics (for example, estimation of turbulence kinetic energy's dissipation rates from energy spectra and structure functions).

Synthetic turbulence data (left) and its corresponding spectrum (right)

(Freire at al. 2019, Bound.-Layer Meteorol.)

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