variavel0=<b>Marcio Cataldi</b> - mcataldi@serv.com.ufrj.br PEM/COPPE/UFRJ
<b>Juliana B. R. Loureiro</b> - jbrloureiro@serv.com.ufrj.br DEM/EE/UFRJ
<b>Luiz C. G. Pimentel</b> - pimentel@lttc.coppe.ufrj.br IGEO/UFRJ
<b>Atila P. Silva Freire</b> - atila@serv.com.ufrj.br PEM/COPPE/UFRJ
<b>Abstract.</b> The objective of this work is to develop, in a wind tunnel environment, boundary layers with different states of development that simulate the structure present in the atmospheric boundary layer. The work analyses the dynamic and thermal characteristics of different types of thick, artificially generated, turbulent boundary layers. The thermal boundary layer is obtained by two methods: wall surface heating and main flow heating. The wall surface heating, made through eletrical resistances, can furnish an increase in wall temperature of up to 100 oC above the ambient temperature and can be applied over a 6000 mm long surface with a controled variation of 2 oC. The main flow heating is obtained by forcing the flow pass through a curtain of copper strings whose elements can the heated individually. The main flow can be heated up to 50 oC. The whole system can then be used to produce, unstable, neutral and stable boundary layers. The parameters of the thermal boundary layer are qualified through: growth, structure, equilibrium, turbulent transport of heat and energy spectrum. The paper describes in detail the experimental arrangement, including the geometry of the wind tunnel and of the instrumentation.
<b>Keywords.</b> Stratification, Atmospheric boundary layer, Wind tunnel.