Using CFD to Evaluate Natural Ventilation through a 3D Parametric Modeling Approach

Nayara Rodrigues Marques Sakiyama, Jurgen Frick, Timea Bejat and Harald Garrecht
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Nayara Rodrigues Marques Sakiyama: Materials Testing Institute (MPA), University of Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 2b, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
Jurgen Frick: Materials Testing Institute (MPA), University of Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 2b, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
Timea Bejat: CEA, LITEN, DTS, LIPV, INES, University Grenoble Alpes, F-38000 Grenoble, France
Harald Garrecht: Materials Testing Institute (MPA), University of Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 2b, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 8, 1-27

Abstract: Predicting building air change rates is a challenge for designers seeking to deal with natural ventilation, a more and more popular passive strategy. Among the methods available for this task, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) appears the most compelling, in ascending use. However, CFD simulations require a range of settings and skills that inhibit its wide application. With the primary goal of providing a pragmatic CFD application to promote wind-driven ventilation assessments at the design phase, this paper presents a study that investigates natural ventilation integrating 3D parametric modeling and CFD. From pre- to post-processing, the workflow addresses all simulation steps: geometry and weather definition, including incident wind directions, a model set up, control, results’ edition, and visualization. Both indoor air velocities and air change rates (ACH) were calculated within the procedure, which used a test house and air measurements as a reference. The study explores alternatives in the 3D design platform’s frame to display and compute ACH and parametrically generate surfaces where air velocities are computed. The paper also discusses the effectiveness of the reference building’s natural ventilation by analyzing the CFD outputs. The proposed approach assists the practical use of CFD by designers, providing detailed information about the numerical model, as well as enabling the means to generate the cases, visualize, and post-process the results.

Keywords: natural ventilation; CFD; ventilation rate; 3D parametric modeling (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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