An integrated zonal model for predicting indoor airflow, temperature, and VOC distributions

This paper presents the development of an intermediate model between CFD models and well-mixed models, the integrated zonal model (IZM) , to predict three-dimensional airflow, temperature, and VOC concentration distributions within a room. The IZM integrated a zonal model with a three-dimensional air jet model and a three-dimensional building material VOC emission/sink model. The IZM was validated at three different levels : the airflow distribution in a mechanically ventilated room predicted by the IZM was compared with that of the standard k-e CFD model; the temperature distribution for a natural convection case predicted by the IZM was validated with experimental data ; and the predictions of the total VOC distribution were compared with CFD model predictions. It was found that the integrated zonal model, with quite coarse grids, could provide some global information regarding airflow pattern and thermal and VOC distributions within a room.