Considerations on grid configuration in ENVI-met

Abstract

Computer simulations are important tools in city planning since they make it possible to evaluate current conditions and test future scenarios. Simulation planning is fundamental to ensure results reliability. This paper discusses the configuration of the grid (extent and resolution) in software ENVI-met by analyzing impact on computation time and results consistency. Simulations were carried out for 4 area extents and 5 cell sizes for June 6^th, 2022, at Conjunto Paulo VI, in Belo Horizonte. The results of air potential and mean radiant temperatures, relative humidity, and wind (direction and speed) were evaluated numerically, for a point receiver, and spatially, through mapping. The results indicate important issues for grid planning since the process of transposing georeferenced vector bases to a structured simulation mesh can generate distortions such as reduction in built area and displacement of receivers. Although variables such as air temperature and humidity have shown relative independence from grid size, mean radiant temperature and wind were significantly altered by grid configuration. Guidelines for elaborating simulation meshes in ENVI-met were proposed. Even though they were generated for a specific case study, they can be tested in other contexts.