How much area can simulate in Airflow Analyst?

It depends on the resolution and amount of calculation mesh. In general, Airflow Analyst is intended the area from several square meters to several kilometers.

How long do the calculations take for doing one simulation?

This depends greatly on your PC calculation capability and the scale of the calculation being computed. Broadly speaking, using a modern high-performance PC, it would take about one hour per case if doing a small-scale calculation of about 2 million meshes, and around 20 hours if doing a large-scale calculation of about 20 million meshes.

Professional knowledge in the fluid dynamic field is required to operate and understand the simulation?

No. In a case of typical wind simulation, users can get a valid simulation result by following simple and easy procedures described in a user’s manual. When you think about the simulation result, wind engineering knowledge will be helpful, but you don’t need to complex formula.

Can I output the simulation results in a data format that is usable in ArcGIS?

Yes. The simulation results are output to a file in NetCDF format, so it can be visualized in 3D on ArcScene as 3D animation. Also, by using ArcGIS Multi-dimension Tool, you can output the estimated values of a specified cross-section as point feature classes or tables, allowing you to use airflow simulation results for ArcGIS spatial analysis.

Can we visualize the simulation result as time-averaged wind condition, not only visualized in animation?

Yes. There is an option to calculate statistical values such as maximum, minimum, average, standard division and turbulence intensity at each mesh point, when a user export the result data to NetCDF after the simulation has been finished. And the statistical result data can also visualize in 3D in ArcScene.

Can I output pressure valuable?

No. But there is a plan to output the pressure field in the future version.

Can I set the inflow turbulence intensity profile using an arbitrary distribution?

No. The inflow wind is set as a constant wind on the time axis using the power law distribution. If you want to set an arbitrary distribution, you will need to set a shape model, such as a roughness block, on the windward side, in order to control the wind speed distribution or the turbulence distribution.

Apart from airflow simulations (wind direction/wind speed), what other type of simulations does the software support?

It can support airflow simulations that take into account the diffusion of substances or heat convection.

Does the software support simulations of airflow indoors?

No. It does not support enclosed areas such as those located indoors; it can only provide analyses for environments that are assumed to be outdoors. By calculating a building’s interior and exterior at the same time, you can simulate how wind coming in from the outside would flow to the inside of a room. However, this does require a large number of computational meshes.

Can I configure moving bodies, such as cars, or wind sources, such as fans?

No. Wind calculations are only possible against stationary features such as terrains and buildings.

Can I export the animated simulation result to movie file?

Yes. The Airflow Analyst can export the animation to AVI file.

How do I set boundary conditions?

An inflow of wind is configured using the power law’s wind speed profile from the windward inflow cross-section. By specifying a power index, a user can change the shape of the inflow profile.