Numerical Simulations of the Urban-Type Boundary Layer Experiment

Due to their small size, limited power and relatively low speeds compared to the magnitude of typical velocity fluctuations in the atmospheric boundary layer, MAVs are highly susceptible to gusts encountered in complex urban environments. As such, an understanding of the spatial and temporal characteristics of these flow fields can play an important role in the design of these MAVs. In this talk, we present the results of numerical simulation of an urban-type boundary layer described in the talk by Monnier, Wark \emph{et al.} Specsolve, a parallel spectral element solver, is used for these simulations. POD is used to generate a low dimensional representation of the velocity field from the simulation data. Gust statistics and various structures relevant to MAV navigation are presented. These results are compared with SPIV data from the experiment.