Application of computational fluid dynamics in building performance simulation for the outdoor environment: an overview

Abstract

This article provides an overview of the application of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) in building performance simulation for the outdoor environment, focused on four topics: (1) pedestrian wind environment around buildings, (2) wind-driven rain on building facades, (3) convective heat transfer coefficients at exterior building surfaces and (4) air pollutant dispersion around buildings. For each topic, its background, the need for CFD, an overview of some past CFD studies, a discussion about accuracy and some perspectives for practical application are provided. This article indicates that for all four topics, CFD offers considerable advantages compared with wind tunnel modelling or (semi-)empirical formulae because it can provide detailed whole-flow field data under fully controlled conditions and without similarity constraints. The main limitations are the deficiencies of steady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes modelling, the increased complexity and computational expense of large eddy simulation and the requirement of systematic and time-consuming CFD solution verification and validation studies.

Keywords:

• computational fluid dynamics
• wind comfort
• wind-driven rain
• surface transfer coefficients
• air pollution
• review

Acknowledgements

Special thanks go to the many researchers with whom the authors had the pleasure of working in the past. Several of their important contributions to the literature have been cited in this article, among with many other books and articles. In particular, the authors thank Prof. Yoshihide Tominaga of the Niigata Institute of Technology and Prof. Ryuichiro Yoshie of Tokyo Polytechnic University, for kindly providing permission to use their figure as Figure 4 in this article. The authors also thank Zara Huijbregts, PhD student at the Unit Building Physics and Systems of Eindhoven University of Technology, for preparing the modified Figures 2 and 9. The authors thank the anonymous reviewers for thoroughly reading the article and for their very valuable comments.

The authors are also grateful for the permissions granted by Elsevier and by Christopher Bailey to reproduce the following figures:

Figure 1a: Reprinted from Building and Environment, 39(12), Abanto J, Barrero D, Reggio M, Ozell B, Airflow modelling in a computer room, pp. 1393–1402, Copyright (2004), with permission from Elsevier.

Figure 3a–b: Reprinted from Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics, 46–47, Gadilhe A, Janvier L, Barnaud G, Numerical and experimental modelling of the three-dimensional turbulent wind flow through an urban square, pp. 755–763, Copyright (1993), with permission from Elsevier.

Figure 3c–d: Reprinted from Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics, 81(1–3), He J, Song CCS, Evaluation of pedestrian winds in urban area by numerical approach, pp. 295–309, Copyright (1999), with permission from Elsevier.

Figure 5: Reprinted from Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics , 95(9–11), Yoshie R, Mochida A, Tominaga Y, Kataoka H, Harimoto K, Nozu T, Shirasawa T, Cooperative project for CFD prediction of pedestrian wind environment in the Architectural Institute of Japan, pp. 1551–1578, Copyright (2007), with permission from Elsevier.

Figure 7d: Courtesy of Christopher Bailey (2010).

Figure 7e: Reprinted from Atmospheric Environment, 38(33), Wei Tang, Cliff I. Davidson, Erosion of limestone building surfaces caused by wind-driven rain: 2. Numerical modelling, pp. 5601-5609, Copyright (2004), with permission from Elsevier.