Metcalfe, Ralph W.2015-01-042015-01-04December 22012-12http://hdl.handle.net/10657/855A k-ε code is customized in FLUENT 6.3 to simulate neutral and unstable atmospheric boundary layers (ABL) derived from Monin-Obukhov (MO) similarity theory. The code is tuned until velocity, temperature, turbulent kinetic energy (TKE), and turbulent dissipation rate (TDR) results maintain the initial theoretical values at upstream and downstream positions in a 2D and 3D domain. After verifying that the code is performing consistently, neutral and unstable initial profiles are constructed from averaged observations of the ABL at Horns Rev and are implemented into the k-ε code. The simulation results display that the Horns Rev velocity profiles are slightly under approximated in the neutral simulation and moderately over approximated in the unstable simulations. Moreover, the simulated TKE profile shows divergence from the initial MO TKE profile as the thermal stability becomes more unstable. A study of the developing 3D dynamics of a turbulent ABL illustrating structures such as vortices and streaks is not reported on, and the results display strictly steady parallel flow.application/pdfengThe author of this work is the copyright owner. UH Libraries and the Texas Digital Library have their permission to store and provide access to this work. Further transmission, reproduction, or presentation of this work is prohibited except with permission of the author(s).Wind profileK-ε turbulence methodK-epsilonFLUENTHorns RevAtmospheric boundary layerABLNeutral boundary layerUnstable boundary layerMonin-Obukhov similarity theoryMOSTDiabaticConvectiveStabilityMechanical engineering2015-01-04Thesisborn digital