Airflow Inside School Building Office Compartments with Moderate Environments: Fid-Bau Portal

Airflow Inside School Building Office Compartments with Moderate Environments

Conceição, Eusébio Z.E. / Vicente, Vitor D.S.R. / Lúcio, M Manuela J.R.

In this paper, the airflow inside school building office compartments with moderate environments, in steady-state conditions, is experimentally and numerically analyzed. The experimental tests are made in a developed experimental chamber, while the numerical results are obtained in a developed numerical model.

The air velocity fluctuations are experimentally measured and the air velocity root mean square, the air turbulence intensity, the draft risk, the air velocity fluctuation frequencies, and the air velocity fluctuation equivalent frequencies are calculated. The mean and local air renovation rates, using the decay tracer gases method with a carbon dioxide concentration, are calculated. The three-dimensional air velocity and the air renovation rate are numerically calculated. Both these experimental and numerical results are compared to better understand the airflow topology inside this kind of compartment and evaluate the comfort level, namely the thermal comfort, local thermal discomfort, and air quality levels, to which occupants are subjected.

The analyzed airflow topology, with the air forced inlet and outlet located above the occupants' head level, is divided into two areas: the non-occupied upper area, which contains the airflow inlet and outlet, with high air velocity levels, is developed to facilitate the contaminant extraction released by the occupants, while the occupied lower area, with low air velocity levels, is developed to ensure good thermal comfort and reduced local discomfort levels, with the capacity to transport the occupants' contaminants to the upper area.