Large-Eddy Simulation of Wake Vortices at Tokyo/Haneda International Airport

A large-eddy simulation (LES) of wake vortices in ground effect is conducted under the influence of airport hangar buildings to investigate the airport-specific behavior of wake vortices. We consider a landing at Tokyo/Haneda International Airport in Japan, where a wake of hangar buildings covers a landing path and touchdown zone under particular wind conditions. We combine an LES code and the Weather Research and Forecasting numerical weather prediction model to retrieve realistic wind conditions around the airport. The behavior of wake vortices is then investigated in the retrieved wind field using the adaptive mesh capability of the LES code for capturing the tiny vortex core of the wake vortex. At the crosswind on the order of a vortex descent speed, the hangar wake reduces the crosswind near the runway, enhancing the windward vortex’s rebound. The effect is alleviated by doubling the crosswind to twice the vortex descent speed. On the other hand, the wind fluctuations caused by the hangar buildings only slightly affect the wake vortex decay.