Measuring and estimating airflow in naturally ventilated double skin facades

Abstract An accurate assessment of the airflow in naturally ventilated double skin facades (DSF) is crucial for a correct design and performance evaluation. Measuring and predicting DSF airflow is not a straightforward task, given the stochastic nature of the wind, which can assist or oppose the buoyancy force. The present paper resumes the results of airflow measurements inside a naturally ventilated double skin facade using a tracer gas technique. The tests were performed on an outdoor air curtain (OAC) DSF test cell with a movable slat venetian blind. Measurements with no active shading and at night were also performed. Outdoor and test cell air gap temperatures were continuously measured and wind pressure coefficients were determined from wind tunnel tests. Experimental results were then compared to those obtained by a simple model taking into account both thermal and wind effects on the facade. From this comparison discharge coefficients were estimated, which can be used for characterizing the DSF behaviour.

[1]  Dirk Saelens,et al.  Experimental Evaluation of Airflow in Naturally Ventilated Active Envelopes , 2001 .

[2]  S. Corgnati,et al.  Experimental assessment of the performance of an active transparent façade during actual operating conditions , 2007 .

[3]  Jesus Maria Blanco,et al.  Investigating the thermal behavior of double-skin perforated sheet façades: Part A: Model characterization and validation procedure , 2014 .

[4]  Rasmus Lund Jensen,et al.  Measurement of Air Flow Rate in a Naturally Ventilated Double Skin Facade , 2007 .

[5]  Per Heiselberg,et al.  Single-sided natural ventilation driven by wind pressure and temperature difference , 2008 .

[6]  Dries Berckmans,et al.  Influence of sampling positions on accuracy of tracer gas measurements in ventilated spaces. , 2009 .

[7]  Guoqiang Zhang,et al.  Optimization of Sampling Positions for Measuring Ventilation Rates in Naturally Ventilated Buildings Using Tracer Gas , 2012, Sensors.

[8]  Inger Andresen,et al.  Integrating Environmentally Responsive Elements in Buildings , 2004 .

[9]  Olena Kalyanova,et al.  Double-Skin Facade: Modelling and Experimental Investigations of Thermal Performance , 2008 .

[10]  Jörgen Falk,et al.  Ventilated rainscreen cladding: Measurements of cavity air velocities, estimation of air change rates and evaluation of driving forces , 2013 .

[11]  Valentina Serra,et al.  Performance evaluation of advanced integrated façades in laboratory facilitierformance Evaluation Of Advanced Integrated Façades In Laboratory Facilities , 2008 .

[12]  Dirk Saelens,et al.  Energy performance assessment of single storey multiple-skin facades , 2002 .

[13]  Xiaofeng Li,et al.  Modeling ventilation in naturally ventilated double-skin façade with a venetian blind , 2012 .

[14]  Ji-Hyun Lee,et al.  Performance evaluation of artificial neural network-based variable control logic for double skin enveloped buildings during the heating season , 2014 .

[15]  A. Moret Rodrigues,et al.  Experimental and numerical study of wind pressures on irregular-plan shapes , 2005 .

[16]  Stéphane Lassue,et al.  Modeling a triple-glazed supply-air window , 2015 .

[17]  M. Sandberg,et al.  Some examples of solution multiplicity in natural ventilation , 2001 .

[18]  Michele De Carli,et al.  Possibilities and limitations of natural ventilation in restored industrial archaeology buildings with a double-skin façade in Mediterranean climates , 2005 .

[19]  M. Sandberg,et al.  Building Ventilation: Theory and Measurement , 1996 .

[20]  Jennifer A. McWilliams.  Review of air flow measurement techniques , 2002 .

[21]  M. Glória Gomes,et al.  Gap inner pressures in multi-storey double skin facades , 2008 .