The Effect of Balconies on Ventilation Performance of Low-rise Buildings

Ai, Z. T.; Mak, C. M.; Niu, J. L.; Li, Z. R.; Zhou, Q.

doi:10.1177/1420326X11409457

The Effect of Balconies on Ventilation Performance of Low-rise Buildings

Journal Article · Tue May 24 00:00:00 EDT 2011 · Indoor + Built Environment

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1177/1420326X11409457· OSTI ID:1344408

Ai, Z. T. ^[1]; Mak, C. M. ^[2]; Niu, J. L. ^[2]; Li, Z. R. ^[3]; Zhou, Q. ^[4]

Hong Kong Polytechnic Univ. (China). Dept. of Building Services Engineering; Tongji Univ., Shanghai (China). College of Mechanical Engineering; Purdue University
Hong Kong Polytechnic Univ. (China). Dept. of Building Services Engineering
Tongji Univ., Shanghai (China). College of Mechanical Engineering
Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN (United States). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering

Chand et al. conducted experiments in a low speed wind tunnel to study the effect of balconies on the ventilative force on low-rise buildings without openings. Our study intends to investigate indoor ventilation performance by examining mass flow rate and average velocity on the working plane using computational fluid dynamics, using their model. Simulations were validated against their experiments. The numerical results indicate that, for single-sided ventilation, the provision of balconies increases mass flow rate and reduces average velocity on the working plane in most rooms, but for cross ventilation, this provision has no significant effect under normally or obliquely incident wind conditions. After the addition of balconies, the worst ventilation circumstances on the windward side under single-sided ventilation conditions were found on the intermediate floor. Furthermore, the simulation results also showed that, in many cases, wind flows into and out of the rooms through the left or right side of the opening rather than through the bottom and top of the opening, especially in the case of buildings that are obliquely oriented to the air stream. Finally, this phenomenon demonstrates that predictions of single-sided ventilative force using data relating to the bottom and top parts of the opening are not accurate enough.

Research Organization:: Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)

DOE Contract Number:: NA0000741

OSTI ID:: 1344408

Journal Information:: Indoor + Built Environment, Journal Name: Indoor + Built Environment Journal Issue: 6 Vol. 20; ISSN 1420-326X

Publisher:: SAGE - International Society of the Built Environment

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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42 ENGINEERING
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
Balconies
CFD
Low-rise buildings
Natural ventilation

The Effect of Balconies on Ventilation Performance of Low-rise Buildings

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