Modeling transient snowdrift development around complex three-dimensional structures

The prediction of wind driven snowdrift development around complex surface obstacles and elevated structures presently relies heavily on experience and experimental and numerical flow field analyses using, for example, boundary layer wind tunnels, cryospheric wind tunnels, water flumes and computational fluid dynamics (CFD). In this paper, a snowdrift modeling method is presented that compliments these techniques by using CFD coupled with a domain adaptation strategy to facilitate the transient changes in snow surface topography. The numerical technique is applied here to simulate the snowdrift development around two adjacent cubical buildings, around a complex of surface mounted buildings and around an elevated structure. The analysis technique presented allows the evaluation and three-dimensional visualization of snowdrift development, which assists the conceptual building design process to manage potential snowdrifts on and around these structures.