CFD investigation of natural ventilation in a family house in Hungary

Abstract

Buildings are responsible for around 40% of greenhouse emissions globally. The residential building sector is responsible for 24% of energy use. In Hungary, about 800.000 ‘Cube houses’ which date back to the socialist era are still standing. These houses suffer shortages from the energy point of view. This paper presents a new refurbishment approach that attempts to achieve passive cooling with aerodynamic design by integrating the “Venturi disc” which stimulates natural ventilation and night cooling. The work was achieved by using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations using ANSYS Fluent software tool. The implemented building provides lower energy demand and considerably higher comfort in comparison with the typical ‘Cube house’. The building is not only a case study, rather a sustainable model for all the ‘Cube houses’ renewal and further family housing renovations or constructions to reach a higher standard. This paper is a step in an ongoing research project.

CFD Investigation of Enhancing Natural Ventilation in Attached Family House Buildings in Hungary

“…The house was equipped with under-floor ventilation inlets, an inner shaft, and a Venturi disc topping the shaft outlet to stimulate natural ventilation through the house. Indoor air velocity, ACH, and temperature were tested and it was proofed that the studied ventilation mechanism is effective in enhancing natural ventilation [15]. Wagner et al investigated and monitored natural ventilation and passive cooling of a low-rise office building in Germany.…”