Experimental and numerical analysis of plume development in ventilated rooms

We present the experimental and numerical study of a plume developed above a heat source both in a stratified and non-stratified medium. This situation arises in industrial facilities with displacement ventilation where air is supplied to the lower zone and extracted at roof level.
The experimental heat source used in this paper is a 1.54 m diameter disc placed in a ventilated room with an adjustable supply flow rate. The room air temperature distribution was measured using a mast equipped with 16 thermocouples. Numerical modelling was carried out under the Fluent V6.1 code. In non-stratified regime, the computed and experimental characteristics of the plume in the
fully developed zone were in close agreement. In stratified regime, the measured height of the
thermocline was underestimated by the numerical predictions. Possible improvements to the model are suggested.