Flow conditions in a mechanically ventilated room with a convective heat source.

The ventilation of a test room (LxWxH = 5.4x3.6x2.4 m) with a wall mounted heat source is investigated for two different air terminal devices. The properties of each air terminal device are described by measuring the velocity decay of the primary wall jet below the ceiling. The velocity distribution in the plume above the heat source has been measured at different heat loads as a function of the distance to the wall and the distance to the heat source. The measurements have led to an estimate of the maximum velocity in the plume and of the volume flow rate as a function of the heat load and the distance to the heat source. In order to find the influence of the convective heat source on the flow conditions in the room, the velocity distribution in the occupied zone and the normalized concentration distribution along a vertical line through the middle of the room has been determined as a function of the specific flow rate and the heat load. The convective heat source is found to have significant influence on the flow conditions in the room. This paper shows lower velocities in the occupied zone and a more uniform concentration distribution in the room.