A Numerical Study of Synthetic Turbulence Interaction with Unsteady Vertiport Environment

This study presents the development and application of a refined momentum source term methodology for synthetic turbulence generation in urban flow simulations. By embedding divergence-free, three-dimensional turbulence fields consistent with the von Kármán energy spectrum directly within the computational domain, the approach enables flexible and efficient turbulence generation with minimal sensitivity to grid stretching. The method is validated through Large Eddy Simulations (LES) of flow around a representative urban vertiport model under varying turbulence intensities (10%, 20%, and 30%). Results demonstrate that the generated synthetic turbulence significantly alters the flow field, reducing recirculation zones, promoting earlier shear-layer reattachment, and stabilizing the flow above the vertiport platform—key factors for safe eVTOL operations. Instantaneous flow analyses reveal that secondary tip vortices (STVs) persist even in the presence of strong inflow turbulence but lose their periodicity, explaining discrepancies with prior spectral analyses. Overall, the momentum source term approach offers a practical and effective tool for modeling atmospheric turbulence and gust conditions in urban air mobility and rotorcraft simulations.