Improving Natural Ventilation Multi-Story Buildings within Hot and Dry Climates: A CFD Study of Windcatcher Performance
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Today, carbon and energy conservation are widely recognized as pressing issues on a worldwide scale. Passive systems provide a viable solution to this problem by reducing energy use while simultaneously improving indoor air quality. The traditional windcatcher is one such sustainable passive strategy that has historical relevance in Egypt. It was used in single- and double-story structures to allow for cross-ventilation and to keep interior areas cooler during the summer. This study investigates the practicality of windcatchers as an effective passive cooling and natural ventilation approach for multi-story structures in Egypt, with a special focus on the summer months, using the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) technique. Using the simulation software DesignBuilder, a 3D CFD study is carried out to undertake an extensive assessment. The aim is to analyze and compare the airflow and the indoor thermal comfort between three possible configurations, one without a windcatcher, one with a windcatcher oriented toward the wind, and one with two windcatchers, one oriented toward the wind and one away from it. The windcatcher models have been effectively incorporated into a scaled-down representation of a test room. The evaluation of the thermal comfort study is conducted by the ASHRAE standard 55. The findings derived from the CFD simulations suggest that windcatchers possess the capacity to significantly augment the natural ventilation within high-rise structures situated in hot and arid regions. Moreover, it has been suggested that the utilization of multiple windcatchers as both intake and exhaust systems could potentially improve thermal comfort and ventilation in the specified space. This study provides significant insights into the possibility of windcatchers as a viable passive cooling strategy for multi-story structures in Egypt. As a result, it contributes to the ongoing discussion on sustainable construction practices in this particular location.
Author: Jenan Abu Qadourah
Institution: Mutah University
Language: English
Topic: Wind and Air Flow Studies
Subfield: Environmental Engineering
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4391520171