Effects of urban morphology on anthropogenic heat dispersion in tropical high-density residential areas

Abstract

Anthropogenic heat is constantly emitted to the urban environment in which could trigger a vicious cycle: risen the air temperature, subsequently increase the cooling-energy consumption and further intensify the urban heat island effect. While extensive studies had been conducted to estimate the magnitude of anthropogenic heat emission in urban areas, research that investigates the behaviour of anthropogenic heat dispersion in the outdoor environment is limited. This research aims to understand the interaction between the airflow and the flux of heat rejected from the high-rise residential buildings, and effects of heat flux on the air temperature in the street canyon. Parametric study is performed by using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation method, and the results indicate that, emission position and building porosity play an important role in anthropogenic heat removal from the street canyon. Single strategy, such as building height variance, can help to reduce the street canyon temperature to some extents, but the impact can be more significant when it is coupled with other strategies. At the end, a case study is conducted to evaluate the practicability of the suggested mitigation strategies in real urban design practice. This study bridges the knowledge gap between the complex aerodynamic physics and the real urban planning and design practices.