Prediction of Convective Heat Transfer Coefficient and Temperature Distribution of Air-Conditioned Spaces Using Numerical Simulation

Abstract

Accurate and efficient modeling of convective heat transfer coefficient (CHTC) by considering the detailed room geometry and heat flux density in building is demanding for economy, environmental amiability, and user satisfaction. We report the three-dimensional finite-volume numerical simulation of internal room flow field characteristics with heated walls. Two different room geometries are chosen to determine the CHTC and temperature distribution. The conservation equations (elliptic partial differential) for the incompressible fluid flows are numerically solved using iterative method with no-slip boundary conditions to compute velocity components, pressure, temperature, turbulent kinetic energy, and dissipation rate. A line-by-line solution technique combined with a tri-diagonal matrix algorithm (TDMA) is used. The temperature field is simulated for various combinations of air-change per hour and geometrical parameters. The values of HTCs are found to enhance with increasing wall temperatures.