The effect of size and location of a heating source on the buoyant flow in a heated space

Abstract EN

A numerical study of two-dimensional turbulent buoyant recirculating flows within a heated space is presented.

The study involves the solution of elliptic partial differential equations for the conservation of mass, momentum, energy, turbulence energy and its dissipation rate.

These equations were solved together with algebraic expressions for the turbulent viscosity and heat diffusivity in a finite difference form.

The simulations of the turbulent buoyant flow within the space were undertaken using two principle geometrical arrangements (A & B) of the room with different locations and sizes of a heating source (b / h = 0.08, 0.28, and 0.5 for geometry A and b / h = 0.75, 1.45, and 6.0 for geometry B).

The study demonstrates that for a thermal comfort conditions in the space the location and size of the heating source are of great importance.

When the heating source is located in the middle of the floor it is found to generate a high velocity air stream resulted from vortices produce a local thermal discomfort in the occupation zone.

On the other hand its location under a cold window offsets the losses in heat and avoiding the form of the high velocity air streams in the occupation zone.

The size of the heating source is also found to influence the occupation zone condition through the effect on the heat transfer rate inside the conditioned space.