IMPROVED WIND AND TURBULENCE MEASUREMENTS USING A LOW-COST 3-D SONIC ANEMOMETER AT A LOW-WIND SITE

Bowen, B

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

关键词: Velocity;    Anemometers;    Vanes;    Turbulence;    54 Environmental Sciences;   

DOI  :  10.2172/926051
RP-ID  :  UCRL-TR-234138
RP-ID  :  W-7405-ENG-48
RP-ID  :  926051

美国|英语

来源: UNT Digital Library

【 摘 要 】

A year of data from sonic anemometer and mechanical wind sensors was analyzed and compared at a low-wind site. Results indicate that 15-minute average and peak 1-second wind speeds (u) from the sonic agree well with data derived from a co-located cup anemometer over a wide range of speeds. Wind direction data derived from the sonic also agree closely with those from a wind vane except for very low wind speeds. Values of standard deviation of longitudinal wind speed ({sigma}{sub u}) and wind direction fluctuations ({delta}{sub {theta}}) from the sonic and mechanical sensors agree well for times with u > 2 ms{sup -1} but show significant differences with lower u values. The most significant differences are associated with the standard deviation of vertical wind fluctuations ({sigma}{sub w}): the co-located vertical propeller anemometer yields values increasingly less than those measured by the sonic anemometer as u decreases from 2.5 approaching 0 ms{sup -1}. The combination of u over-estimation and under-estimation of {sigma}{sub w} from the mechanical sensors at low wind speeds causes considerable under-estimation of the standard deviation of vertical wind angle fluctuations ({sigma}{sub {phi}}), an indicator of vertical dispersion. Calculations of {sigma}{sub {phi}} from sonic anemometer measurements are typically 5{sup o} to 10{sup o} higher when the mechanical instruments indicate that {sigma}{sub {phi}} < 5{sup o} or so. The errors in both the propeller anemometer and cup anemometer, caused by their inability to respond to higher frequency (smaller scale) turbulent fluctuations, can therefore lead to large (factors of 2 to 10 or more) errors in the vertical dispersion during stable conditions with light winds.