Design and optimization of a porous fence for the reduction of wind erosion

Abstract

A porous fence can be used as a shelter to reduce wind-induced erosion and the dispersion of dust particles from sand piles. Although many experimental and numerical studies have been carried out to analyze the effect of a porous fence on the erosion mechanism, optimizing porosity depending on in situ conditions remains a design challenge. This study focuses on the combined simulation and optimization of fence porosity considering the objective of reducing wind erosion over a triangular prism. Optimization of fence porosity is automated by integrating open-source computational fluid dynamics code and optimization tools to avoid trial and error. A comparison of numerical and experimental results demonstrates that the present numerical model can accurately predict turbulent flow through the porous fence for different porosities. Various fence shapes placed upstream of the prism were tested and optimized to reduce pressure and friction forces over the prism. The porosity of the new design is optimized according to the sand mitigation measure for different incoming wind speeds and sand grain diameters. The height of the fence is then optimized to prevent the onset of the erosion process under severe wind conditions. Unsteady three-dimensional simulation results are analyzed to reveal the underlying flow mechanism triggered by the porous fence. Eventually, the curved fence design proposed in the current study can be effectively used for the mitigation of wind erosion.