Solar Panel in Periodic Flow

Application ID: 12205


This model exemplifies the analysis of strong wind flow around a solar panel and the corresponding structural displacement due to the wind's load. The solar panel is located in an array of equally spaced identical panels, which allows for the assumption that the periodic flow conditions can be applied in the streamwise direction.

The model plots the flow field for a free stream velocity of 25 m/s (Re = 6.6x106) and computes the resulting structural stresses and displacements.

The model uses two different studies: the first solves for the turbulent flow around the solar panel using the Turbulent Flow, k-ε physics interface; and the other solves for the structural stresses and displacements using the Solid Mechanics physics interface. The Fluid-Structure Interaction, Fixed Geometry multiphysics coupling feature is used to couple the fluid flow boundary load from the fluid domains to the solid domains. This corresponds to a one-way fluid-structure interaction analysis.

This model example illustrates applications of this type that would nominally be built using the following products: