A preliminary study of assimilating numerical weather prediction data into computational fluid dynamics models for wind prediction

The goal of this effort is to combine the strengths of Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to produce locale-specific flow patterns that could be used for micrositing wind power plants. We do this in two ways: (1) we use the mesoscale model data as inflow for the CFD model and (2) we assimilate vertical profiles of mesoscale model output into the CFD model as a body force. We study the impact of this technique with a case study in the rolling topography of central Pennsylvania. We compare wind profiles between the mesoscale model alone, the CFD model alone, and the fully assimilated mesoscale/CFD solution. In addition, we examine the impact of the mesoscale assimilation into the CFD model on the fine-scale flow structure. This preliminary approach of combining techniques in NWP and CFD through data assimilation provides a unique assessment of the utility of specific locations for wind power production as well as for improving simulations for other purposes.