Airflow Simulations around OA Intake Louver with Electronic Velocity Sensors

Journal Article · Wed Apr 01 04:00:00 EDT 2009 · Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering

OSTI ID:1023368

Han, Hwataik; Sullivan, Douglas P; Fisk, William J

It is important to control outdoor airflow rates into HVAC systems in terms of energy conservation and healthy indoor environment. Technologies are being developed to measure outdoor air (OA) flow rates through OA intake louvers on a real time basis. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the airflow characteristics through an OA intake louver numerically in order to provide suggestions for sensor installations. Airflow patterns are simulated with and without electronic air velocity sensors within cylindrical probes installed between louver blades or at the downstream face of the louver. Numerical results show quite good agreements with experimental data, and provide insights regarding measurement system design. The simulations indicate that velocity profiles are more spatially uniform at the louver outlet relative to between louver blades, that pressure drops imposed by the sensor bars are smaller with sensor bars at the louver outlet, and that placement of the sensor bars between louver blades substantially increases air velocities inside the louver. These findings suggest there is an advantage to placing the sensor bars at the louver outlet face.

• Research Organization: Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA (US)
• Sponsoring Organization: Environmental Energy Technologies Division
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-05CH11231
• OSTI ID: 1023368
• Report Number(s): LBNL-4695E
• Journal Information: Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering, Journal Name: Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 9
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
AIR FLOW
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
CONTROL SYSTEMS
DESIGN
ENERGY CONSERVATION
FLOW RATE
FLUID MECHANICS
HVAC SYSTEMS
INDOORS
INTAKE
PRESSURE DROP
PROBES
SENSORS
VELOCITY
VENTILATION
computational fluid dynamics
outdoor air louver
velocity sensor installation
ventilation