Experimental investigation of the velocity distribution of the attached plane jet after impingement with the corner in a high room

Supplying air into rooms properly without causing a sensation of draught is a challenging task. Airflow patterns and the air velocity of attached plane jets should be predicted and designed accurately before the airflow enters an occupied zone in different applications. The objective of this study is to identify the airflow patterns of attached plane jets and set up an efficient model to predict the maximum jet velocity decay of an attached plane jet after its impingement with the corner in a high room. A full-scale test chamber was used to measure the jet velocity with a plane jet supply device. The attached plane jet is bounded initially by the ceiling and the insulated wall after being discharged from the jet slot. Three velocities from the slot, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 m/s, are used as the initial jet velocities with three Reynolds numbers, 1000, 2000, and 4000, respectively. The results show that the behaviours of the attached plane jet differ from earlier studies carried out in a relatively low room. The virtual origin model setup in this study can be used to predict the maximum jet velocity decay for jet flow design with impingement in the corners of rooms.     

百叶送风口低温贴附射流的实验研究与分析

测试了百叶送风口低温贴附射流温度分布,确定了其射流轴心温度轨迹。测量了射流轴心速度,回归分析得出了其速度衰减特性公式。提出选择适当的送风速度,在低温送风空调系统中能获得满意的空调效果的观点。     

侧墙上置送风口置换通风流场及通风效果评价

针对设置侧墙上置送风口置换通风系统的房间,采用CFD软件对室内空气速度场、温度场进行模拟。根据模拟结果,分析贴附射流、冲击射流的发展过程,评价侧墙上置送风口置换通风系统的通风效果。     

Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) application in the measurement of indoor air distribution by an active chilled beam

We study the turbulent air flow behaviours of the attached plane jet discharged from an active chilled beam in a room using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV). PIV is an innovative technology to study indoor air flow which began in the eighties of the last century for the measurement of whole air flow fields in fractions of a second. Here an experimental PIV system was built to reveal the structure of a turbulent attached plane jet in the entrainment process of the ambient air downstream from the jet slot. For the particle seeding in the PIV experiments, a few different particles were tested with the attached jet PIV application in a room. The results presented in this paper show the clear structure of the turbulent attached plane jet in the entrainment process after issuing from the chilled beam slot. The PIV visualisation results proved that the jet will attach to the ceiling and become fully turbulent a short distance downstream from the slot. The jet velocity vector fields show that the volume flow rate of the attached plane jet increases because of the large vortex mixing mechanism in the outer region of the jet. In three measurement cases, the air jet grows faster at a Reynolds number of 960 than at Reynolds numbers of 1320 and 1680. The calculated spreading angles in the cases with lower Reynolds numbers have similar values compared with the visualisation results.     

大空间空调中射流理论的适用性问题研究

以大空间空调设计中广泛采用的圆形喷口为例,对比分析了传统半经验射流理论计算结果与CFD模拟结果。研究结果表明,模拟得到的多喷口水平并排射流的射流轴心弯曲及轴心风速衰减均较快;实际建筑空间结构、内部发热条件及喷口布置形式对射流的流场有较大影响;空间温度场分布并非仅与射流的射程有关,还受空间整体气流状况影响。     

入口紊乱参数对室内空气分布的影响研究

文中采用计算机流体动力学（ＣＦＤ）的方法就风口入流参数对通风空调房间内空气流动和分布情况的影响作了数值研究,通过对条缝二维平面射流特性及其作为送风口的空调房间室内空气分布的数值计算结果与有关实验数据对比指出：在相当大的紊流入流参数范围内,最终的室内空气流动及平面射流特性的计算结果变化不大,藉此可以指导对室内空气流动进行数值模拟时的边界条件描述。     

Impact of turbulence anisotropy near walls in room airflow

The influence of different turbulence models used in computational fluid dynamics predictions is studied in connection with room air movement. The turbulence models used are the high Re-number kappa-epsilon model and the high Re-number Reynolds stress model (RSM). The three-dimensional wall jet is selected for the work. The growth rate parallel to the wall in a three-dimensional wall jet is large compared with the growth rate perpendicular to the wall, and it is large compared with the growth rate in a free circular jet. It is shown that it is not possible to predict the high growth rate parallel with a surface in a three-dimensional wall jet by the kappa-epsilon turbulence model. Furthermore, it is shown that the growth rate can be predicted to a certain extent by the RSM with wall reflection terms. The flow in a deep room can be strongly influenced by details as the growth rate of a three-dimensional wall jet. Predictions by a kappa-epsilon model and RSM show large deviations in the occupied zone. Measurements and observations of streamline patterns in model experiments indicate that a reasonable solution is obtained by the RSM compared with the solution obtained by the kappa-epsilon model. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is often used for the prediction of air distribution in rooms and for the evaluation of thermal comfort and indoor air quality. The most used turbulence model in CFD is the kappa-epsilon model. This model often produces good results; however, some cases require more sophisticated models. The prediction of a three-dimensional wall jet is improved if it is made by a Reynolds stress model (RSM). This model improves the prediction of the velocity level in the jet and in some special cases it may influence the entire flow in the occupied zone.     

Fast simulation of temperature distribution in air conditioned rooms by using proper orthogonal decomposition

Real-time control of air conditioning needs dynamic models of temperature distribution and air velocity field in rooms. Complete models, based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD), give this information, but they are too time-consuming for real-time applications. Therefore, a reduced model is needed. In mixed convection, when the air temperature has negligible variations, the velocity field may be considered fixed. In this case, the size of a CFD model may be reduced by solving only the energy balance equation, then putting this equation in the form of state-space and finally by reducing its order by proper orthogonal decomposition (POD). This algorithm was applied to a room equipped with a fan coil. Four fixed airflow fields, corresponding to negligible air temperature variation, were considered, resulting in four airflow patterns: the air jet sticks to the ceiling and reaches the opposite wall, the air jet falls before reaching the opposite wall, the air jet reaches the ceiling without extending along it, and the air jet falls before reaching the ceiling. The reduced model obtained from these airflow patterns was validated by comparing with CFD results for step variation of inlet temperature. As the order of the reduced model is always lower than seven, it may be used for real-time control applications.     

Computational fluid dynamics modelling of the air movement in an environmental test chamber with a respiring manikin

In recent years, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has been widely used as a method of simulating airflow and addressing indoor environment problems. The complexity of airflows within the indoor environment would make experimental investigation difficult to undertake and also imposes significant challenges on turbulence modelling for flow prediction. This research examines through CFD visualization how air is distributed within a room. Measurements of air temperature and air velocity have been performed at a number of points in an environmental test chamber with a human occupant. To complement the experimental results, CFD simulations were carried out and the results enabled detailed analysis and visualization of spatial distribution of airflow patterns and the effect of different parameters to be predicted. The results demonstrate the complexity of modelling human exhalation within a ventilated enclosure and shed some light into how to achieve more realistic predictions of the airflow within an occupied enclosure.     

Analysis of thermal comfort in a residential room with insect proof screen: A case study by numerical simulation methods

The present paper aims to investigate the characteristics of airflow inside the room with insect proof screens by employing computation fluid dynamics (CFD) technique. Insect proof screens attached to the window openings were simulated by porous media approach. The simulated pressure drop across the insect proof screen was compared with the experimental result and is having a good agreement with a maximum error of 8.77% for the air velocity of 0.15 m/s. The insect proof screen significantly reduces the airflow rate and increases the indoor air temperature by 3°C. The effect of different window sizes and porosity of the insect proof screen is included for the study of thermal comfort index, predicted mean vote (PMV). From the PMV contours, center portion of the room and portions nearer to the windows are identified as comfort zones.     

Comparing zonal and CFD model predictions of isothermal indoor airflows to experimental data

It is inappropriate to use the assumption of instantaneously well-mixed zones to model airflows and pollutant transport in large indoor spaces. We investigate two approaches for describing the details of airflows in large indoor spaces, for accuracy and suitability for integration with multi-zone infiltration models. One approach, called the zonal method, was developed over the last 15 years to provide an improvement over the well-mixed assumption. The second approach is the use of a computational fluid dynamics simulation using a coarse grid model of the large indoor space. We compare velocity predictions from different formulations of zonal methods and coarse-grid k-epsilon computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models, to measurements, in a 2D mechanically ventilated isothermal room. Our results suggest that, when airflow details are required, coarse-grid CFD is a better-suited method to predict airflows in large indoor spaces coupled with complex multi-zone buildings, than are the zonal methods. Based on the comparison of pressure predictions from different models, we offer guidance regarding the coupling of a model of detailed airflow in large spaces to algebraic multi-zone infiltration models.     

百叶风口送风射流的数值模拟

为简化风口入流边界条件的描述,提出用N个简单开口代替不同方向出流的百叶风口,建立了N点风口模型,据此模型对不同出流条件的百叶风口射流进行了数值模拟,并就轴心速度衰减,射流扩展角及断面流速分布等与实验数据进行了对比。结果表明,当N=1或3时,模拟结果令人满意。     

Simulation of air flow in the IEA Annex 20 test room—validation of a simplified model for the nozzle diffuser in isothermal test cases

The modeling of air supply devices has been identified from the International Energy Agency (IEA) Annex 20 project as one of the most important problems in applying computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to predict air flow pattern and air distribution in buildings, and the complicated HESCO nozzle diffuser used in the IEA Annex 20 test room has been proved to be particularly difficult to model. In a previous study, a simplified model for this diffuser was developed and validated against experimental data. It has been shown that this model can yield good prediction for the wall jet flow issued from the diffuser, but whether this model is capable of correctly predicting the global flow pattern in the whole test room was not known. In this paper, the benchmark data of the IEA Annex 20 Test Cases B2 and B3 were used to evaluate the performance of the model for the prediction of the global air flow pattern in the test room. It was demonstrated that this model can predict the air flow pattern in the whole test room for both the Test Cases B2 and B3 with reasonable accuracy. The significance of a velocity correction when comparing the numerical prediction with experimental data obtained using omni-directional anemometers was also discussed.     

碰撞射流末端送风形式对室内气流的影响

通过CFD模拟研究了碰撞射流系统末端不同送风形式,对各送风形式下室内的速度场和温度场的分析结果表明：典型工况条件下,在送风末端管壁处设置小开口以及百叶会使近地面扩散气流速度明显降低,可以降低冬季工况室内人员产生冷风感的风险。所有送风口形式均有下部空间温度高于上部特征,可实现较高的送风能量利用效率。     

Indoor air quality and thermal comfort studies of an under-floor air-conditioning system in the tropics

This paper reports thermal comfort and indoor air quality (IAQ) studies of an under-floor air-conditioning (UFAC) system in hot and humid climate. Thermal comfort parameters were measured at predetermined grid points within an imaginary plane to predict the airflow pattern of the supply air jet as well as to determine the occurrence of thermal stratification in the office space. Fanger’s [Thermal Comfort Analysis and Applications in Environmental Engineering, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1970] thermal comfort index was also computed to detect the occupants’ thermal sensation. Besides, the concentration levels of dust and carbon dioxide were recorded with the intention to examine the quality of the indoor air. Statistical methods were applied to derive the relationship between air velocity and the other parameters as mentioned earlier. The main findings from the study revealed reasonable level of acceptability of IAQ associated with the UFAC system. However, occupants are likely to experience localised thermal discomfort near the supply diffusers due to the existence of large temperature gradients. In addition, a stagnant zone is discovered at sedentary level, which is caused by the parabolic airflow nature of the primary air jet.     

条缝型送风口形成的竖壁贴附射流通风模式研究:送风速度的影响

提出了一种介于混合通风、置换通风之间的新型通风模式——条缝型送风口形成的竖壁贴附射流。利用2DPIV研究了该模式下射流送风速度对气流流场的影响,并对极限贴附距离进行了探讨。研究表明,射流送风速度越大,形成的贴附射流距离越长,贴附效果越显著;同时,送风速度越大,射流对周围空气的卷吸能力越强,射流影响区域越大;射流送风速度的改变对极限贴附距离的影响不明显。     

Air distribution in room ventilated by fabric air dispersion system

Several researches about airflow distribution in a room generated by fabric air dispersion system (FADS) were reported, but details about the simulation in computer fluid dynamics (CFD) method were not elaborated. In present work The commercial software FLUENT with standard k−ε$k-\epsilon$ turbulence model is applied to predict air distribution in a room ventilated by FADS in penetration mode, where FADS is described with the porous media model based on the modified Forchheimer equation. And more details about the simulation are given. Flow visualization near the region of FADS is conducted using dry-ice as a smoking material. The distribution of indoor air velocity and temperature and draught rating (DR) around the ankle and neck level are predicted. The simulation well matches the corresponding experimental value and results of earlier work. Results showed that air is radially discharged out in the direction perpendicular to the spatial cambered porous fibre in lower velocity, and evenly distributed along its length direction when air is distributed by FADS in penetration mode. The velocity of indoor air is very low, and the vertical air temperature difference is small (less than 2 K). DR around the ankle and neck is immune to supply air flow rate and location, which is less than the comfort limit of ASHRAE Standard 55-2004. In addition, airflow pattern is greatly impacted by the location and strength of heat load.     

Three-dimensional numerical simulation of a hybrid fresh air and recirculated air diffuser for decoupled ventilation strategy

In conventional mixing ventilation air conditioning system, fresh air which has been polluted by recirculated air is supplied to occupied zone. Therefore, more fresh air which results in energy penalty needs to be supplied in order to keep good indoor air quality (IAQ) and thermal comfort. Some alternatives such as personalized ventilation air conditioning system can address this problem effectively by supplying fresh air directly into occupied zone. However, room layouts and visual effects will be influenced deeply because of extended air ducts. A new approach supplying fresh air directly by utilizing high velocity circular air jet without mixing with recirculated air is introduced. Objective measurements and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tool are used to evaluate corresponding indoor parameters to verify that it can both supply fresh air into occupied zone effectively and avoid draught rating.     

Nonlinear eddy viscosity modeling and experimental study of jet spreading rates

Indoor airflow pattern is strongly influenced by turbulent shear and turbulent normal stresses that are responsible for entrainment effects and turbulence‐driven secondary motion. Therefore, an accurate prediction of room airflows requires reliable modeling of these turbulent quantities. The most widely used turbulence models include RANS‐based models that provide quick solutions but are known to fail in turbulent free shear and wall‐affected flows. In order to cope with this deficiency, this study presents a nonlinear k‐ε turbulence model and evaluates it along with linear k‐ε models for an indoor isothermal linear diffuser jet flow measured in two model rooms using PIV. The results show that the flow contains a free jet near the inlet region and a wall‐affected region downstream where the jet is pushed toward the ceiling by entrainment through the well‐known Coanda effect. The CFD results show that an accurate prediction of the entrainment process is very important and that the nonlinear eddy viscosity model is able to predict the turbulence‐driven secondary motions. Furthermore, turbulence models that are calibrated for high Reynolds free shear layer flows were not able to reproduce the measured velocity distributions, and it is suggested that the model constants of turbulence models should be adjusted before they are used for room airflow simulations.     

Particle removal efficiency of the portable HEPA air cleaner in a simulated hospital ward

Use of a HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filter in a room is believed to assist in reducing the risk of transmission of infectious diseases through removing the particles or large droplets to which pathogens may be attached. Use of a portable HEPA filter(s) in hospital wards is hypothesized to increase the effective ventilation rate (for particles only). Use of a portable HEPA filter is also hypothesized to increase the effective airflow rate of the general ward to the standard of an isolation ward for emerging infection diseases. This may be a good solution for housing patients when the number of beds in an isolation ward is insufficient. An experiment was conducted in a full scale experimental ward with a dimension of 6.7 m × 6 m × 2.7 m and 6 beds to test these hypotheses for a portable HEPA filter. The removal efficiency for different size particles was measured at different locations. The influence of the portable HEPA air cleaner on the airflow pattern was also studied through smoke visualization and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. Results show that the HEPA filter can effectively decrease the particle concentration level. The effective air change rate achieved by the HEPA filter (for particle removal only) is from 2.7 to 5.6 ACH in the ward. The strong supply air jet from the portable HEPA filter interacted with the room airflow pattern and became dominate, introducing global airflow mixing in the room. Background noise levels were also measured and noise level in the room increased when the maximum airflow of the filter was used.