I am Richard J.A.M. Stevens, Professor of Fluid Mechanics in the University of Twenteâs Physics of Fluids group. I lead an interdisciplinary research program on multiscale turbulence, atmospheric boundary layers, wind energy, and high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics, with particular emphasis on wind-farmâatmosphere interaction.
Wind farms operate within a dynamic atmosphere and interact with it across scales. My team studies how atmospheric stability, wind shear, low-level jets, and mesoscale variability shape wind-farm flows and power production, and how large wind farms in turn modify the atmospheric boundary layer, moisture transport, and atmosphereâocean energy exchange. Through the ERC-funded WINDFLOW project, we link high-fidelity wind-farm simulations with large-scale weather models, bridging turbine- and farm-scale flow physics with realistic, time-evolving atmospheric conditions. The aim is to provide a more physically grounded basis for predicting wind-farm performance and atmospheric impacts under real-world weather.
Large-eddy simulation (LES) is our primary tool for studying multiscale wind-farmâatmosphere interactions. We combine LES with physical and analytical modeling, high-performance computing (HPC), and collaborative experiments and field observations. Our goal is to identify governing mechanisms and translate these insights into predictive models for wind-farm analysis and design.
Direct numerical simulation (DNS) plays a complementary role in our research on canonical turbulence. We use DNS to investigate RayleighâBĂ©nard convection, turbulent boundary layers, rotating convection, and multiscale transport. These controlled systems allow us to isolate mechanisms, generate high-accuracy reference data, and develop a physical understanding that informs our understanding of more complex atmospheric flows. Our group also develops and shares high-performance simulation tools, including the open-source DNS code AFiD.
I also lead teams spanning fluid mechanics, atmospheric science, wind energy, applied mathematics, and scientific computing. I supervise PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers, teach turbulence and mathematical and numerical fluid mechanics, and contribute to the international research community through editorial and organizational roles.
I welcome contact from prospective students, researchers, and collaborators working on turbulence, wind energy, atmospheric science, and high-fidelity computational modeling.
Expertise
Earth and Planetary Sciences
- Boundary Layer
- Large Eddy Simulation
- Numerical Simulation
- Flow Structure
Physics
- Direct Numerical Simulation
- Reynolds Number
- Turbulent Flow
Engineering
- Power Output
Organisations
Publications
Jump to: 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021
2026
Modeling wind farm noise emission and propagation: Effects of flow and layout (2026)Renewable energy, 273. Article 126052 (E-pub ahead of print/First online). Colas, J., Emmanuelli, A., Dragna, D. & Stevens, R. J. A. M.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2026.126052Wake-induced variations in noise levels and amplitude modulation for two interacting wind turbines (2026)The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 159(4), 3048-3061. Colas, J., Emmanuelli, A., Dragna, D. & Stevens, R. J. A. M.https://doi.org/10.1121/10.0043240Impact of atmospheric turbulence on performance and loads of wind turbines: knowledge gaps and research challenges (2026)Wind Energy Science, 11(2), 509-555. Kosović, B., Basu, S., Berg, J., Berg, L. K., Haupt, S. E., Larsén, X. G., Peinke, J., Stevens, R. J. A. M., Veers, P. & Watson, S.https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-11-509-2026From turbine-scale to wind farm-scale wake recovery: Understanding the transition (2026)Journal of renewable and sustainable energy (AIP), 18(1). Article 013302. Kasper, J. H. & Stevens, R. J. A. M.https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0285347Modeling Multiscale Atmospheric Interactions in Wind-Farm Power Spectra (2026)PRX Energy, 5(2). Article 023012. Liu, Y. & Stevens, R. J. A. M.https://doi.org/10.1103/dsz3-zftt
2025
Mean turbulent momentum fluxes and wind deficits in nocturnal stable atmospheric boundary layers (2025)Journal of fluid mechanics, 1017. Article A5. Shen, Z., Liu, L., Lu, X. Y. & Stevens, R. J. A. M.https://doi.org/10.1017/jfm.2025.10466Evolution and instability of the tip vortices behind a yawed wind turbine (2025)Journal of fluid mechanics, 1016. Article A20. Li, C., Gao, A. K., Liu, L., Lu, X. Y. & Stevens, R. J. A. M.https://doi.org/10.1017/jfm.2025.10389Three-dimensional effects of the wake on wind turbine sound propagation using parabolic equation (2025)Journal of sound and vibration, 608. Article 119036. Bommidala, H., Colas, J., Emmanuelli, A., Dragna, D., Khodr, C., Cotté, B. & Stevens, R. J. A. M.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsv.2025.119036Capturing tip-corrected blade element momentum loading with wind turbine models (2025)Renewable energy, 241. Article 122265. Selvatici, D. & Stevens, R. J. A. M.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2024.122265
2024
How wide must RayleighâBĂ©nard cells be to prevent finite aspect ratio effects in turbulent flow? (2024)Journal of fluid mechanics, 1000. Article A58. Stevens, R. J. A. M., Hartmann, R., Verzicco, R. & Lohse, D.https://doi.org/10.1017/jfm.2024.996Scaling relations for heat and momentum transport in sheared RayleighâBĂ©nard convection (2024)Journal of fluid mechanics, 1000. Article A74. Yerragolam, G. S., Howland, C. J., Stevens, R. J. A. M., Verzicco, R., Shishkina, O. & Lohse, D.https://doi.org/10.1017/jfm.2024.872The global properties of nocturnal stable atmospheric boundary layers (2024)Journal of fluid mechanics, 999. Article A60. Shen, Z., Liu, L., Lu, X. & Stevens, R. J. A. M.https://doi.org/10.1017/jfm.2024.969Simulation and modeling of wind farms in baroclinic atmospheric boundary layers (2024)Journal of renewable and sustainable energy (AIP), 16(6). Article 063302. Kasper, J. H., Stieren, A. & Stevens, R. J. A. M.https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0220322Impact of a two-dimensional steep hill on wind turbine noise propagation (2024)Wind Energy Science, 9(10), 1869-1884. Colas, J., Emmanuelli, A., Dragna, D., Blanc-Benon, P., Cotté, B. & Stevens, R. J. A. M.https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-9-1869-2024Geostrophic Drag Law in Conventionally Neutral Atmospheric Boundary Layer: Simplified Parametrization and Numerical Validation (2024)Boundary-Layer Meteorology, 190(8). Article 37. Liu, L., Lu, X. & Stevens, R. J. A. M.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10546-024-00878-6Effects of wind turbine rotor tilt on large-scale wind farms (2024)Journal of physics: Conference series, 2767(9). Article 092072. Kasper, J. H. & Stevens, R. J. A. M.https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/2767/9/092072Effect of airflow rate on CO2 concentration in downflow indoor ventilation (2024)Indoor Environments, 1(2). Article 100012. Yerragolam, G. S., Howland, C. J., Yang, R., Stevens, R. J. A. M., Verzicco, R. & Lohse, D.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indenv.2024.100012Turbulence coherence in wind farms: The role of turbines (2024)Journal of physics: Conference series, 2767(9). Article 092108. Liu, Y. & Stevens, R. J. A. M.https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/2767/9/092108Toward Understanding Polar Heat Transport Enhancement in Subglacial Oceans on Icy Moons (2024)Geophysical research letters, 51(3). Article e2023GL105401. Hartmann, R., Stevens, R. J. A. M., Lohse, D. & Verzicco, R.https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL105401
2023
Wind turbine sound propagation: Comparison of a linearized Euler equations model with parabolic equation methods (2023)The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 154(3), 1413-1426. Colas, J., Emmanuelli, A., Dragna, D., Blanc-Benon, P., Cotté, B. & Stevens, R. J. A. M.https://doi.org/10.1121/10.0020834Optimal heat transport in rotating Rayleigh-BĂ©nard convection at large Rayleigh numbers (2023)Physical review fluids, 8(8). Article 083501 . Hartmann, R., Yerragolam, G. S., Verzicco, R., Lohse, D. & Stevens, R. J. A. M.https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevFluids.8.083501The Mean Wind and Potential Temperature Flux Profiles in Convective Boundary Layers (2023)Journal of the atmospheric sciences, 80(8), 1893-1903. Liu, L., Gadde, S. N. & Stevens, R. J. A. M.https://doi.org/10.1175/JAS-D-22-0159.1Understanding wind farm power densities (2023)Journal of fluid mechanics, 958. Article F1. Stevens, R. J. A. M.https://doi.org/10.1017/jfm.2023.113Investigating the impact of atmospheric boundary layer stratification on wind farm noise propagation (2023)In Forum Acusticum 2023 - 10th Convention of the European Acoustics Association, EAA 2023 (Proceedings of Forum Acusticum). European Acoustics Association. Colas, J., Dragna, D., Emmanuelli, A., Blanc-Benon, P., Cotté, B. & Stevens, R.https://doi.org/10.61782/fa.2023.0608
2022
Analytical model of fully developed wind farms in conventionally neutral atmospheric boundary layers (2022)Journal of fluid mechanics, 948, 1-18. Article A43. Li, C., Liu, L., Lu, X. & Stevens, R. J. A. M.https://doi.org/10.1017/jfm.2022.732Impact of Negative Geostrophic Wind Shear on Wind Farm Performance (2022)PRX Energy, 1(2). Article 023007. Stieren, A., Kasper, J. H., Gadde, S. N. & Stevens, R. J. A. M.https://doi.org/10.1103/PRXEnergy.1.023007Investigating wind farm blockage in a neutral boundary layer using large-eddy simulations (2022)European journal of mechanics. B - Fluids, 95, 303-314. Strickland, J. M. I. & Stevens, R. J. A. M.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euromechflu.2022.05.004Wind farm blockage in a stable atmospheric boundary layer (2022)Renewable energy, 197, 50-58. Strickland, J. M. I., Gadde, S. N. & Stevens, R. J. A. M.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2022.07.108How small-scale flow structures affect the heat transport in sheared thermal convection (2022)Journal of fluid mechanics, 944. Article A1. Yerragolam, G. S., Verzicco, R., Lohse, D. & Stevens, R. J. A. M.https://doi.org/10.1017/JFM.2022.425Impact of wind farm wakes on flow structures in and around downstream wind farms (2022)Flow, 2. Article E21. Stieren, A. & Stevens, R. J. A. M.https://doi.org/10.1017/flo.2022.15Passive scalar transport in Couette flow (2022)Journal of fluid mechanics, 943, 1-21. Article A17. Yerragolam, G. S., Stevens, R. J. A. M., Verzicco, R., Lohse, D. & Shishkina, O.https://doi.org/10.1017/jfm.2022.368Off-centre gravity induces large-scale flow patterns in spherical RayleighâBĂ©nard convection (2022)Journal of fluid mechanics, 942. Article A21. Wang, G., Santelli, L., Verzicco, R., Lohse, D. & Stevens, R. J. A. M.https://doi.org/10.1017/jfm.2022.360Effect of a 2D Hill on the Propagation of Wind Turbine Noise (2022)In AIAA/CEAS Aeroacoustics Conference. Article AIAA 2022-2923. Colas, J., Emmanuelli, A., Dragna, D., Stevens, R. & Blanc-Benon, P.https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2022-2923Evaluating the accuracy of the actuator line model against blade element momentum theory in uniform inflow (2022)Wind energy, 25(6), 1046-1059. Liu, L., Franceschini, L., Oliveira, D. F., Galeazzo, F. C. C., Carmo, B. S. & Stevens, R. J. A. M.https://doi.org/10.1002/WE.2714Vertical structure of conventionally neutral atmospheric boundary layers (2022)Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 119(22), e2119369119. Article e2119369119. Liu, L. & Stevens, R. J. A. M.https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2119369119Multiple heat transport maxima in confined-rotating RayleighâBĂ©nard convection (2022)Journal of fluid mechanics, 939(A1), 1-27. Article A1. Hartmann, R., Verzicco, R., Klein Kranenbarg, L., Lohse, D. & Stevens, R. J. A. M.https://doi.org/10.1017/jfm.2021.1031A three-dimensional dynamic mode decomposition analysis of wind farm flow aerodynamics (2022)Renewable energy, 191, 608-624. Dai, X., Xu, D., Zhang, M. & Stevens, R. J. A. M.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2022.03.160Strong alignment of prolate ellipsoids in Taylor-Couette flow (2022)Journal of fluid mechanics, 935. Article A7. Assen, M. P. A., Ng, C. S., Will, J. B., Stevens, R. J. A. M., Lohse, D. & Verzicco, R.https://doi.org/10.1017/jfm.2021.1134Aspect Ratio Dependence of Heat Transfer in a Cylindrical Rayleigh-BĂ©nard Cell (2022)Physical review letters, 128(8). Article 084501. Ahlers, G., Bodenschatz, E., Hartmann, R., He, X., Lohse, D., Reiter, P., Stevens, R. J. A. M., Verzicco, R., Wedi, M., Weiss, S., Zhang, X., Zwirner, L. & Shishkina, O.https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.128.084501
2021
Diffusion-Free Scaling in Rotating Spherical Rayleigh-BĂ©nard Convection (2021)Geophysical research letters, 48(20). Article e2021GL095017. Wang, G., Santelli, L., Lohse, D., Verzicco, R. & Stevens, R. J. A. M.https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GL095017Heat transport enhancement in confined Rayleigh-BĂ©nard convection feels the shape of the container (2021)Europhysics letters, 135(2). Article 24004. Hartmann, R., Chong, K. L., Stevens, R. J. A. M., Verzicco, R. & Lohse, D.https://doi.org/10.1209/0295-5075/ac19edCan windbreaks increase the power production of wind farms (2021)In ETMM13 Rhodes, Greece 15-17 September, 2021: Conference Proceedings (pp. 496-501). Easy Conferences Ltd. Stevens, R. J. A. M. & Liu, L.https://easyconferences.eu/etmm13/proceedings/Large eddy simulation study of extended wind farms with large inter turbine spacing (2021)In ETMM13 Rhodes, Greece 15-17 September, 2021: Conference Proceedings (pp. 475-480). Easy Conferences Ltd. Stevens, R. J. A. M. & Meneveau, C.https://easyconferences.eu/etmm13/proceedings/Modeling wind direction changes in large eddy simulations using a rotating reference frame (2021)In ETMM13 Rhodes, Greece 15-17 September, 2021: Conference Proceedings (pp. 390-395). Easy Conferences Ltd. Stieren, A., Gadde, S. N. & Stevens, R. J. A. M.https://easyconferences.eu/etmm13/proceedings/Effects of atmospheric stability on the performance of a wind turbine located behind a three-dimensional hill (2021)Renewable energy, 175, 926-935. Liu, L. & Stevens, R. J. A. M.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2021.05.035
Research profiles
Affiliated study programs
Courses academic year 2026/2027
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