A TRNSYS-FLUENT coupled simulation of the thermal environment of an airport terminal space with a mixing and displacement air conditioning system

This paper reports on the simulation of the indoor thermal environment and energy demand of an Airport terminal space in the UK. It compares the performance of a mixed conditioning system (MC) and a displacement conditioning system (DC) in the airport terminal, under two different control strategies, through a coupled TRNSYS-FLUENT quasi-dynamic simulation. TRNSYS simulates the AC unit and control systems, while FLUENT simulates the airflow inside the terminal space.  The results show that the heating performance of both systems is comparable, while DC is more efficient for cooling purposes. Overall, yearly energy savings in the range of 2-30% are possible, depending on the AC system configuration.