Numerical simulation of airflow in a room with differentially heated vertical walls

Weiran Xu, Qingyan Chen

Research output: Journal article publicationConference articleAcademic researchpeer-review

14 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Knowledge of room air distribution, including its flow and temperature characteristics, is very important to HVAC engineers. This study numerically predicts the air distribution in a room with differentially heated vertical walls. The Rayleigh number in the room is around 2.6 to approximately 3×1010. Time averaged equations of continuity, momentum, and energy are numerically solved by the finite volume method. Three turbulence models, the `standard' k-ε model, and two low-Reynolds-number k-ε models, are employed to simulate turbulent natural convection in the room. The numerical results are compared with experimental data available and other related work. Good agreement occurs between the numerical results and the experimental data. Low-Reynolds-number effects and thermal radiation between the ceiling and floor are found to have important impacts on the flow pattern and the temperature distribution.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)168-175
Number of pages8
JournalASHRAE Transactions
Volume104
Issue numberPt 1A
Publication statusPublished - 1998
EventProceedings of the 1998 ASHRAE Winter Meeting. Part 1 (of 2) - San Francisco, CA, USA
Duration: 18 Jan 199821 Jan 1998

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Building and Construction
  • Mechanical Engineering

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