CFD analysis

Recently, Island kitchen is installed in many houses in Japan. In the island kitchen, the cooking range is placed on the island unit, and the center hood is located above the cooking flow in the room. In such a kitchen environment, there is a possibility that cross winds or other disturbing flow may reach the cooking zone. For this reason, pollutant fumes from the cooking range may be diffused to residential zone. CFD analysis is an effective measure for comprehending such a diffusion of the thermal plume.

In predicting flow rate of a building ventilated by wind, the orifice equation is usually used. This conventional method cannot work for the building provided with large openings. Therefore, the final goal of this study is to establish a new prediction method of the cross-ventilation rate, which is based on energy balance inside the stream tubes passing through/around a building. In determining stream tubes, it is beneficial to use CFD. In this study, the accuracy of CFD analysis is studied. Three turbulence models are used in the simulation; i.e.

In the light of global environmental problems, it is vital for buildings to conserve energy and make use of natural energies. Natural ventilation is one important method for achieving this. In houses, natural ventilation is a very attractive way to control the indoor environment. Compared to this, mid- to high-rise buildings include many closed spaces where windows cannot be opened and internal heat is trapped inside, which increases the cooling load. Based on this situation, consciousness of environmentally friendly buildings and utilization of natural energy becomes high.