CFD Simulation Investigation for Flow of Inside and Outside of Building: Impact of the Window Dimensions and the Wind Directions

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

1 PHD Student of Mechanical Engineering at Kashan University

2 Associate professor of Mechanical Engineering at Tafresh University

Abstract

Studying airflow inside and outside a building is crucial for optimizing natural ventilation. A key factor influencing these flows is the size of the inlet and outlet openings on the building’s walls. This study investigates the effect of this parameter using RANS equations in steady-state, three-dimensional conditions, with the SST-kω turbulence model. Models with identical cross-sectional areas at the building's inlet but different aspect ratios were used. The highest and lowest air flow rates into the building were observed in models with aspect ratios of 1.56 and 0.39, respectively. To examine the impact of wind direction on air flow rate, wind angles from 0 to 75 degrees were analyzed. Results show that air flow rate becomes independent of inlet dimensions at wind angles greater than 30 degrees. Additionally, increasing window height leads to a decrease in high-velocity regions inside the building, while low-velocity and stagnation areas expand. Pressure coefficient analysis on the building's exterior reveals that pressure variations on the windward wall are greater than on the leeward wall. This study highlights the importance of opening dimensions and wind direction in determining airflow behavior, providing valuable insights for enhancing natural ventilation strategies.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

[1] Z. Jiang, T. Kobayashi, T. Yamanaka, M. Sandberg, A literature review of cross ventilation in buildings, Energy and Buildings, 291 (2023) 113143.
[2] A. Buonomano, C. Forzano, G. Giuzio, A. Palombo, New ventilation design criteria for energy sustainability and indoor air quality in a post Covid-19 scenario, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 182 (2023) 113378.
[3] W. Su, Z. Ai, J. Liu, B. Yang, F. Wang, Maintaining an acceptable indoor air quality of spaces by intentional natural ventilation or intermittent mechanical ventilation with minimum energy use, Applied Energy, 348 (2023) 121504.
[4] R. Ramponi, B. Blocken, "CFD simulation of cross-ventilation for a generic isolated building: Impact of computational parameters", Building and Environment, 53 (2012) 34-48.
[5] X. Zhang, A.U. Weerasuriya, J. Wang, C.Y. Li, Z. Chen, K.T. Tse, J. Hang, Cross-ventilation of a generic building with various configurations of external and internal openings, Building and environment, 207 (2022) 108447.
[6] S. Díaz-Calderón, J. Castillo, G. Huelsz, Evaluation of different window heights and facade porosities in naturally cross-ventilated buildings: CFD validation, Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics, 232 (2023) 105263.
[7] M. Jesson, M. Sterling, C. Letchford, C. Baker, Aerodynamic forces on the roofs of low-, mid-and high-rise buildings subject to transient winds, Journal of wind engineering and industrial aerodynamics, 143 (2015) 42-49.
[8] T. Van Hooff, B. Blocken, "Coupled urban wind flow and indoor natural ventilation modelling on a high-resolution grid: A case study for the Amsterdam ArenA stadium", Environmental Modelling & Software, 25 (2010) 51-65.
[9] O.P. James, L. Chun-Ho, "CFD simulations of natural ventilation behaviour in high-rise buildings in regular and staggered arrangements at various spacings", Energy and Buildings, 43 (2011) 1149-1158.
[10] Y. Wu, A. Yang, L. Tseng, C. Liu, "Myth of ecological architecture designs: Comparison between design concept and computational analysis results of natural-ventilation for Tjibaou Cultural Center in New Caledonia", Energy and Buildings 43 (2011) 2788-2797.
[11] H. Montazeri, B. Blocken, "CFD simulation of wind-induced pressure coefficients on buildings with and without balconies: Validation and sensitivity analysis", Building and Environment 60 (2013) 137-149.
[12] C. Chu, B. Chiang, "Wind-driven cross-ventilation with internal obstacles", Energy and Buildings, 67 (2013) 201-209.
[13] C. Chu, Y. Chiu, Y. Wang, "An experimental study of wind-driven cross ventilation in partitioned buildings", Energy and Buildings, 42 (2010) 667-673.
[14] G. Evola, V. Popov, "Computational analysis of wind driven natural‏ ‏ventilation in‏ ‏buildings‎", Energy and Buildings, 38 (2006) 491-501.
[15] T. Norton, J. Grant, R. Fallon, D. Sun, "Optimising the ventilation configuration of naturally ventilated livestock buildings for improved indoor environmental homogeneity", Building and Environment, 45 (2010) 983-995.
[16] M. Shirzadi, P.A. Mirzaei, Y. Tominaga, CFD analysis of cross-ventilation flow in a group of generic buildings: Comparison between steady RANS, LES and wind tunnel experiments, in:  Building Simulation, Springer, 13 (2020) 1353-1372.
[17] Y. Jiang, D. Alexander, H. Jenkins, R. Arthur, Q. Chen, "Natural ventilation in buildings: measurement in a wind tunnel and numerical simulation with large-eddy simulation", Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics 91 (2003) 331-353.
[18] M. Shirzadi, P.A. Mirzaei, Y. Tominaga, LES analysis of turbulent fluctuation in cross-ventilation flow in highly-dense urban areas, Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics, 209 (2021) 104494.
[19] C. Chu, B. Chiang, Wind-driven cross ventilation in long buildings, Building and Environment 80 (2014) 150-158.
[20] Fluent User‏ ‏Manual. Fluent Inc.,  (1998).
[21] P. Karava, "Airflow Prediction in Buildings for Natural Ventilation Design: Wind Tunnel Measurements and Simulation. ", Phd thesis, Concordia University, Montreal Quebec, (2008).
[22] Y. Tominaga, A. Mochida, R. Yoshie, H. Kataoka, T. Nozu, M. Yoshikawa, T. Shirasawa, "AIJ guidelines for practical applications of CFD to pedestrian wind environment around buildings", Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics, 96 (2008) 1749-1761.
[23] B.E. Launder, D.B. Spalding, The numerical computation of turbulent flows, in:  Numerical prediction of flow, heat transfer, turbulence and combustion, Elsevier, (1983) 96-116.
[24] T. Cebeci, P. Bradshaw, Momentum transfer in boundary layers, Washington,  (1977).
[25] B. Blocken, J. Carmeliet, T. Stathopoulos, CFD evaluation of wind speed conditions in passages between parallel buildings—effect of wall-function roughness modifications for the atmospheric boundary layer flow, Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics, 95(9-11) (2007) 941-962.
[26] ANSYS fluent user’s guide, release 19.0, ANSYS Inc, Canonsburg,  (2018).
[27] R. Ramponi, B. Blocken, "CFD simulation of cross-ventilation flow for different isolated building configurations: Validation with wind tunnel measurements and analysis of physical and numerical diffusion effects", Wind Engineering & Industrial Aerodynamics, (104-106) (2012) 408-418.
[28] M. Ohba, K. Irie, T. Kurabuchi, Study on airflow characteristics inside and outside a cross-ventilation model, and ventilation flow rates using wind tunnel experiments, Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics, 89(14-15) (2001) 1513-1524.
[29] Z. Huifen, Y. Fuhua, Z. Qian, Research on the impact of wind angles on the residential building energy consumption, Mathematical Problems in Engineering, 2014(1) (2014) 794650.
[30] B. Mou, B.-J. He, D.-X. Zhao, K.-w. Chau, Numerical simulation of the effects of building dimensional variation on wind pressure distribution, Engineering Applications of Computational Fluid Mechanics, 11(1) (2017) 293-309.
[31] B. ASHRAE, Thermal Environmental Conditions for Human Occupancy, Addendum d to ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 55-2004, Proposed Addendum d to Standard 55-2004, American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers, Inc., Atlanta, GA, USA,  (2008).
Amirkabir Journal of Mechanical Engineering
Volume 56, Issue 9
2024
Pages 1249-1274

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics