Fire Safety Concern for Green or Sustainable Buildings With Natural Ventilation Provision

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. K. Chow
Keyword(s):  
Indoor Air ◽  
Fire Safety ◽  
Natural Ventilation ◽  
Safety Concern ◽  
Sustainable Buildings ◽  
Wind Action ◽  
New Concepts ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics Cfd ◽  
Indoor Air Flow ◽  
Fire Codes

New architectural concepts and features are designed to give green or sustainable buildings for having a better environment in the future. These new concepts and features, especially those with glass facades, might have difficulties in complying with the fire safety codes, especially in those countries with only prescriptive codes. Performance-based design has to be applied. However, engineering performance-based fire codes are still under development and even the performance-based concept has not yet been accepted in some cities such as Hong Kong. There is fire safety concern in buildings with natural ventilation provision driven by wind action. In this paper, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) will be applied to study natural ventilation in a small flat under wind action. Indoor air flow for a flat in a typical building will be simulated for windows at different locations. Mixing of heat due to a fire inside the building will be studied. The CFD tool selected is PHOENICS.

The Potential of Natural Ventilation in Single-Sided Ventilated Apartment to Improve Indoor Thermal Comfort and Air Quality

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. F. Mohamed ◽  
M. Behnia ◽  
S. King ◽  
D. Prasad
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Natural Ventilation ◽  
Architectural Element ◽  
Flat Design ◽  
Effective Ventilation ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics Cfd ◽  
Ventilation Performance

Cross ventilation is a more effective ventilation strategy in comparison to single-sided ventilation. In the NSW Residential Flat Design Code1 (RFDC) the majority of apartments are required to adopt cross ventilation. However, in the case of studio and one-bedroom apartments, it is acknowledged that single-sided ventilation may prevail. Deep plan studio and one-bedroom apartments may achieve lower amenity of summer thermal comfort and indoor air quality where mechanical ventilation is not provided by air conditioning. Since compliance with the code may allow up to 40% of apartments in a development in Sydney to be single sided, it is important to understand the natural ventilation performance of such apartments. The objective of this paper is to investigate the natural ventilation potential in single-sided ventilated apartments to improve indoor air quality and thermal comfort. This investigation includes simulating various facade treatments involving multiple opening and balcony configurations. Balcony configurations are included in this study because, in Sydney, a balcony is a compulsory architectural element in any apartment building. The study uses computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software to simulate and predict the ventilation performance of each apartment configuration. This study suggests that properly configured balconies and openings can significantly improve indoor ventilation performance for enhanced indoor air quality and thermal comfort, by optimizing the available prevailing wind. However, it is important to note that inappropriately designed fac¸ade treatments also could diminish natural ventilation performance.

Modeling of Buoyancy-Driven Natural Ventilation in Workshop: Optimization of Distance between Heat Source and Ground

2012 ◽  
Vol 170-173 ◽  
pp. 2579-2582 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ya Xin Su ◽  
A Long Su ◽  
Xin Wan
Keyword(s):  
Heat Source ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Energy Cost ◽  
Lower Energy ◽  
Natural Ventilation ◽  
Waste Heat ◽  
Heat Sources ◽  
Hot Air ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics Cfd ◽  
Cfd Method

Natural ventilation is suitable for application to workshops with heat sources to keep good indoor air quality at lower energy cost. In this paper, the authors numerically investigated the buoyancy-driven natural ventilation in a workshop with heat source based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method. The effect of the distance between heat source and ground on the air flow and temperature distribution was examined. Results showed that the average air temperature at operation zone could be effectively reduced when the distance between heat source and ground increased. The temperature field in the upper zone of the workshop was improved by diminishing the hot air zone near the ceiling and the waste heat directly going into the operation zone decreased when the distance between heat source and ground increased.

scholarly journals THE EFFECTS OF BALCONIES ON THE NATURAL VENTILATION PERFORMANCE OF CROSS-VENTILATED HIGH-RISE BUILDINGS

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohd Farid Mohamed ◽  
Steve King ◽  
Masud Behnia ◽  
Deo Prasad
Keyword(s):  
Indoor Air ◽  
Natural Ventilation ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
High Rise ◽  
Cfd Models ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics Cfd ◽  
Air Speed ◽  
Ventilation Performance

Natural ventilation performance can be influenced by various factors, including facade treatments such as balconies. Balconies have been commonly incorporated into residential buildings for various purposes, yet the provision of a balcony as a passive design strategy to improve natural ventilation is not one of its common purposes. The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of balcony design on the natural ventilation performance of cross-ventilated high-rise apartments. This study uses Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) models to predict ventilation performance. CFD models are selected because of their accuracy, flexibility and ability to provide comprehensive data for the investigation. This study suggests that balconies in high-rise apartments could improve the ventilation performance of high-rise apartments, but that balconies can also have a negative impact on ventilation performance if not appropriately designed. Finally, this study suggests that balconies could improve the level of thermal comfort and indoor air quality of apartments by providing greater indoor air speed and better ventilation performance, respectively.

scholarly journals Natural ventilation for office building retrofit in dense urban context under hot and humid climate

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 67-87
Author(s):  
Marilia Ramalho Fontenelle ◽  
Leopoldo Eurico Gonçalves Bastos ◽  
Sylvie Lorente
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Natural Ventilation ◽  
Air Flow ◽  
Office Building ◽  
Temperate Climate ◽  
Humid Climate ◽  
Adaptive Comfort ◽  
Hot And Humid Climate ◽  
Indoor Air Flow

Abstract Recent studies underline that simple and non-invasive retrofit solutions can recover natural ventilation potential in existing buildings under temperate climate. Nonetheless, the efficiency of these solutions in dense urban contexts under hot and humid climate remains unclear. This paper aims to evaluate the thermal comfort gains caused by natural ventilation when retrofitting an office building in downtown Rio de Janeiro. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and thermal simulations are carried out on Ansys CFX and Design builder to assess indoor air flow before and after retrofit. The diagnosis of the current scenario indicates that the surrounding buildings block a significant part of the wind flow, and occupants experience only a few hours of thermal comfort during the year, especially on lower floors. To increase indoor air flow, the fixed upper windows were transformed into pivot windows and kept open permanently. This measure increases the annual hours of thermal comfort by 0.5-35%, depending on the floor and the adaptive comfort model. These findings suggest that natural ventilation itself may not be sufficient to ensure occupants' comfort throughout the year under the investigated context.

scholarly journals Modeling of Indoor Air Flow Distribution in a Naturally Ventilated Kitchen

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 53-64
Author(s):  
Buddhi P. Sapkota ◽  
Kedar N. Uprety ◽  
Harihar Khanal ◽  
Prakash V. Bhave
Keyword(s):  
Indoor Air ◽  
Indoor Air Pollution ◽  
Stokes Equations ◽  
Flow Distribution ◽  
Navier Stokes ◽  
Ansys Fluent ◽  
Navier Stokes Equations ◽  
Fluent Software ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics Cfd ◽  
Indoor Air Flow

This paper focuses on the modeling of indoor air pollution in a naturally ventilated kitchen based on the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach to assess its ventilation effectiveness. The 3D incompressible Navier-Stokes equations with conservation of total energy are solved numerically using ANSYS-Fluent software and the pollutant paths are investigated from the profiles of velocity, pressure, turbulent kinetic energy and temperature throughout different sections of the kitchen. Experimental verification is made through the measurement of indoor air contaminant in the same kitchen. The simulation results agree well with the on-site measured data.

scholarly journals Risk Analysis of Road Tunnels: A Computational Fluid Dynamic Model for Assessing the Effects of Natural Ventilation

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 32
Author(s):  
Ciro Caliendo ◽  
Gianluca Genovese ◽  
Isidoro Russo
Keyword(s):  
Natural Ventilation ◽  
Fluid Dynamic ◽  
Movement Time ◽  
Radiant Heat ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
Maximum Heat ◽  
Road Tunnels ◽  
Maximum Heat Release ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics Cfd ◽  
Time Required

We have developed an appropriate Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model for assessing the exposure to risk of tunnel users during their evacuation process in the event of fire. The effects on escaping users, which can be caused by fire from different types of vehicles located in various longitudinal positions within a one-way tunnel with natural ventilation only and length less than 1 km are shown. Simulated fires, in terms of maximum Heat Release Rate (HRR) are: 8, 30, 50, and 100 MW for two cars, a bus, and two types of Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs), respectively. With reference to environmental conditions (i.e., temperatures, radiant heat fluxes, visibility distances, and CO and CO2 concentrations) along the evacuation path, the results prove that these are always within the limits acceptable for user safety. The exposure to toxic gases and heat also confirms that the tunnel users can safely evacuate. The evacuation time was found to be higher when fire was related to the bus, which is due to a major pre-movement time required for leaving the vehicle. The findings show that mechanical ventilation is not necessary in the case of the tunnel investigated. It is to be emphasized that our modeling might represent a reference in investigating the effects of natural ventilation in tunnels.

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

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 2197
Author(s):  
Nayara Rodrigues Marques Sakiyama ◽  
Jurgen Frick ◽  
Timea Bejat ◽  
Harald Garrecht
Keyword(s):  
Natural Ventilation ◽  
Parametric Modeling ◽  
Cfd Simulations ◽  
3D Design ◽  
Post Process ◽  
Test House ◽  
Model Set ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics Cfd ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Passive Strategy

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.

scholarly journals Window operation behaviour and indoor air quality during lockdown: A monitoring-based simulation-assisted study in London

2021 ◽  
pp. 014362442110177
Author(s):  
Farhang Tahmasebi ◽  
Yan Wang ◽  
Elizabeth Cooper ◽  
Daniel Godoy Shimizu ◽  
Samuel Stamp ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Natural Ventilation ◽  
Probabilistic Models ◽  
Performance Model ◽  
Outdoor Environment ◽  
Ventilation Strategies ◽  
The Impact

The Covid-19 outbreak has resulted in new patterns of home occupancy, the implications of which for indoor air quality (IAQ) and energy use are not well-known. In this context, the present study investigates 8 flats in London to uncover if during a lockdown, (a) IAQ in the monitored flats deteriorated, (b) the patterns of window operation by occupants changed, and (c) more effective ventilation patterns could enhance IAQ without significant increases in heating energy demand. To this end, one-year’s worth of monitored data on indoor and outdoor environment along with occupant use of windows has been used to analyse the impact of lockdown on IAQ and infer probabilistic models of window operation behaviour. Moreover, using on-site CO2 data, monitored occupancy and operation of windows, the team has calibrated a thermal performance model of one of the flats to investigate the implications of alternative ventilation strategies. The results suggest that despite the extended occupancy during lockdown, occupants relied less on natural ventilation, which led to an increase of median CO2 concentration by up to 300 ppm. However, simple natural ventilation patterns or use of mechanical ventilation with heat recovery proves to be very effective to maintain acceptable IAQ. Practical application: This study provides evidence on the deterioration of indoor air quality resulting from homeworking during imposed lockdowns. It also tests and recommends specific ventilation strategies to maintain acceptable indoor air quality at home despite the extended occupancy hours.

A critical review of combined natural ventilation techniques in sustainable buildings

2021 ◽  
Vol 141 ◽  
pp. 110795
Author(s):  
Haihua Zhang ◽  
Dong Yang ◽  
Vivian W.Y. Tam ◽  
Yao Tao ◽  
Guomin Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Critical Review ◽  
Natural Ventilation ◽  
Sustainable Buildings
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