The wide use of wind tunnels, as a tool to measure the flow properties and the flow effects on different structures/ecosystems, makes it necessary to guarantee the correct functioning of the facility and to carry out a continuous monitoring. The aim of this work is (i) to check the homogeneity and quality of the air flow in an open-circuit boundary layer wind tunnel, (ii) to provide data and ideas that could help other researchers to improve similar tunnels, and (iii) to compare some of the results with the behavior of a classic closed-circuit wind tunnel. Experiments are carried out working with a constant reference velocity, using a hot cross wire anemometry system to obtain high resolution measurements, in the entrance and test sections for different longitudinal and cross planes. The results concern the characteristics of the mean and turbulent flow. In this manuscript, we report the analysis of the turbulence production, the Reynolds stresses, the vertical velocity skewness, the vorticity, and the spectral properties, and a quadrant decomposition is also performed. Finally, comparing the results with respect to a closed-circuit wind tunnel, it is shown that the turbulence intensity is generally higher and the mean flow is more homogeneous in the present open-circuit wind tunnel. Moreover, the Reynolds number is similar in both tunnels, which indicates that both tunnels are mechanically similar.

Historically, the olive grove has been one of the most emblematic ecosystems in Mediterranean countries. Currently, in Andalusia, Spain, the land under olive grove cultivation exceeds 1.5 million hectares, approximately 17% of the regional surface. Its exploitation has traditionally been based on the use of the available land and heterogeneous plantations, with different species adapted to southern Mediterranean climatic conditions, and to the management of the traditional olive cultivation culture. The objective of this work is to characterize the mechanical behavior of the atmospheric surface boundary layer (SBL) (under neutral stability) interacting with different olive grove configurations. Experimental tests were carried out in the Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel (BLWT) of the Andalusian Institute for Earth System Research (IISTA), University of Granada. Three representative configurations of olive groves under neutral atmospheric conditions were tested. The wind flow time series were recorded at several distances and heights downwind the olive plantation models with a cross hot wire anemometry system. Herein, this paper shows the airflow streamwise, including the mean flow and the turbulent characteristics. The spatial variability of these two mechanical magnitudes depends on, among others, the size, the agro-forest length, the layout of the tree rows, the porosity, the tree height, the crown shape and the surface vegetation cover. The aerodynamic diameter and Reynolds number for each agro-forest management unit are proposed as representative variables of the system response, as these could be related to olive grove management. The plantation, in turn, conforms to a windbreak, which affects the microclimate and benefits the elements of the ecosystem. Detailed knowledge of these variables and the interaction between the ecosystem and the atmosphere is relevant to optimize the resources management, land use and sustainability of the overall crop. Thus, this paper presents preliminary work to relate atmospheric variables to environmental variables, some of which could be humidity, erosion, evapotranspiration or pollen dispersion.

Information about the paper titled "ENVIRONMENTAL FLUID DYNAMICS LABORATORY AS AN EDUCATIONAL AND KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER AREA" at IATED Digital Library