Predicting Turbulence Structure In Street-Canyon Flows using Deep Generative Modeling

TL;DR

This paper presents a deep learning approach using a convolutional encoder-decoder transformer to accurately predict complex turbulent flow structures in urban street canyons, aiding environmental and urban planning.

Contribution

It introduces a novel deep generative model trained on wind tunnel data to predict spatio-temporal turbulence in street canyons with high accuracy.

Findings

Model accurately reproduces turbulent statistics and flow structures.

Strong agreement with experimental data on flow evolution.

Demonstrates potential for urban environmental management.

Abstract

The high dimensionality and complex dynamics of turbulent flows in urban street canyons present significant challenges for wind and environmental engineering, particularly in addressing air quality, pollutant dispersion, and extreme wind events. This study introduces a deep learning framework to predict spatio-temporal flow behavior in street canyons with varying geometric configurations and upstream roughness conditions. A convolutional encoder-decoder transformer model, trained on particle image velocimetry (PIV) data from wind tunnel experiments, is employed with autoregressive training to predict flow characteristics. The training dataset contains diverse flow regimes, with a focus on the wall-parallel plane near the canyon roof, a critical region for pollutant exchange between the outer flow and the canyon interior. The model accurately reproduces key flow features, including mean turbulent statistics, two-point correlations, quadrant analysis, and dominant flow structures, while demonstrating strong agreement with experimental data in capturing the temporal evolution of flow dynamics. These findings demonstrate the potential of deep learning models to enhance predictive capabilities for urban canyon flows, offering a pathway toward improved urban design, sustainable environmental management, and more effective pollutant dispersion modeling.