Sand transverse dune aerodynamics: 3D Coherent Flow Structures from a computational study

TL;DR

This study investigates the three-dimensional flow structures in the wake of transverse sand dunes using computational simulations, aiming to improve understanding of dune aerodynamics for better sand mitigation strategies.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of 3D flow features around transverse dunes, comparing computational results with experimental data to enhance the understanding of dune aerodynamics.

Findings

Identification of 3D coherent flow structures behind dunes

Comparison showing agreement between simulations and experiments

Insights into flow behavior under different setup conditions

Abstract

The engineering interest about dune fields is dictated by the their interaction with a number of human infrastructures in arid environments. Sand dunes dynamics is dictated by wind and its ability to induce sand erosion, transport and deposition. A deep understanding of dune aerodynamics serves then to ground effective strategies for the protection of human infrastructures from sand, the so-called sand mitigation. Because of their simple geometry and their frequent occurrence in desert area, transverse sand dunes are usually adopted in literature as a benchmark to investigate dune aerodynamics by means of both computational or experimental approaches, usually in nominally 2D setups. The present study aims at evaluating 3D flow features in the wake of a idealised transverse dune, if any, under different nominally 2D setup conditions by means of computational simulations and to compare the obtained results with experimental measurements available in literature.