A simplified model to estimate natural ventilation flows for simple dwelling layouts

The paper presents a procedure to estimate natural ventilation flow rates through buildings. The principle is to assume that the flow paths are known and that the whole building is an association of ducts that can be coupled either as series or parallel configurations. The equivalent characteristic airflow vs pressure curve is then established. The main driving force is the pressure difference on faades, expressed via their respective pressure coefficients, together with an appropriate reference wind velocity. A thermal (stack) component may be added to establish the final pressure values. A set of curves related to the variables involved is drawn in order to build a four-quadrant graphical nomogram allowing for an easy application of the procedure.