An hp-finite element method for simulating indoor contaminant dispersion

An hp-adaptive finite element method (FEM) is coupled with a Lagrangian particle transport technique to simulate contaminant dispersion within building interiors, including aircraft cabins. The hp-adaptation follows a three-step adaptation strategy, in which the mesh size and shape function order are dynamically controlled. An a posterior error estimator based on the L2 norm calculation is used in the adaptation procedure. Interior flow fields are constructed from the hp-adaptive FEM. Contaminant dispersion is simulated using a random walk/stochastic approach based on a general probability distribution for depicting diffusion. Simulation results for 2- and 3-D interiors are presented.