Numerical and experimental simulation of the wind field in the EXPO '98 area

A numerical and experimental study was performed for the wind flow field in one area, comprising a group of several pavilions separated by passageways, of the EXPO `98 - a World Exposition (Lisbon, Portugal). The focus of this study is the characterization of the flow field to assess pedestrian comfort. The predictions were obtained employing the Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes equations with the turbulence effects dealt with the RNG model. The discretization of the differential equations was accomplished with the control volume formulation in a Cartesian coordinate system, and an advanced segregated procedure was used to achieve the link between continuity and momentum equations. The evaluation of the overall numerical model was performed by comparing its predictions against experimental data for a square cylinder placed in a channel. The predicted values, for the practical geometry studied, are in a good agreement with the experimental data, showing the performance and the reliability of the RNG model and suggesting that the numerical simulation is a reliable methodology to provide the required information.