Numerical study of the cross-ventilation of an isolated building with different opening aspect ratios and locations for various wind directions

Abstract

ABSTRACTIncreasing the natural ventilation potential is an effective way to reduce energy consumption in buildings. In this paper, by using computational fluid dynamics (CFD), the natural ventilation of the wind flow was simulated to evaluate the affecting parameters on the volume flux in an isolated building. The studied parameters were the opening aspect ratios and their locations for various wind directions. Investigations were performed for seven window aspect ratios with the same opening area, six different wind directions, and eight different lateral- and vertical-positions on a leeward wall. The 3D steady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations were solved by a commercially available finite volume code. To provide closure, an SST k – ω turbulence model was coupled to the momentum equations to evaluate the Reynolds stresses. To validate the numerical method, the CFD results were compared with the numerical and experimental results obtained by other studies. A reasonable agreement was observed between the reference data and this study's results. These results showed that small changes, such as in the window dimensions or the lateral and vertical locations, affected the natural ventilation flow by increasing the volume flux. In addition, these results showed that when the wind direction was at an angle of more than 45°, the volume flow rate was approximately independent of the opening's dimensions.