Application of CFD to naturally ventilated buildings: a guide for practitioners.

Computational fluid dynamics (CPD) modelling is increasingly being used as a tool for predicting ventilation rates and air flow patterns as part of the building design process. The potential benefits of this form of modelling are that designs can be optimised to make the most efficient use of ventilation, and so to increase air quality and decrease energy use. Although CFD has shown itself to be a powerful tool in the nuclear, aeronautical and electronics industries for over two decades, its reputation has been built on extensive work specific to those fields. It is recognised that there is a need to establish guidelines for and validate the application of CFD to building design, and in particular to schemes involving natural ventilation. This paper reports the results of studies undertaken in order to produce a guide for practitioners on how to use CFD to examine natural ventilation in buildings. The work addressed the key unresolved issues which face practitioners when they use CFD as a design tool for naturally ventilated buildings, including how much of a building and its surroundings are modelled, the treatment of openings and surface heat transfer and the level of detail required to represent internal furniture and heat sources.