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The most crucial decisions in the Building Architecture, Engineering, and Construction sector are made in the design phase. Decisions made in the design phase determine the efficiency and longevity of the structure. Therefore, building owners need to invest in the right technology and assistance to draft the perfect design best fitted to the building’s occupants and its owners.
CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) Analysis is one such method developed for race car airflow simulation by engineers and is off-late extensively used in the AEC sector for precise estimation of designs for buildings and their components.
CFD or Computational Fluid Dynamics is a division of fluid mechanics that uses numerical analysis and data structure to study fluid flow (liquids and gases). It is also known as the study of heat transfer.
CFD analysis with sophisticated computer software can help engineers and designers study the full-stream flow of fluids and their interaction with different surfaces.
CFD technique uses Navier-Stokes equations to study and predict factors like pressure, velocity, density, and temperature of any moving fluid. Using these solutions and data obtained from each simulation, designers and engineers can quickly and easily architect buildings optimized to the owner’s needs and the building’s surroundings.
Check out the Case Study on the CFD Analysis of a Data Center.
CFD Simulation is usually done in 3 stages:
The geometry of the design is built in this stage, so the liquid has a low domain. Therefore, features in the geometry that do not affect the flow field are omitted, but significant alterations are avoided as they may reduce the accuracy of the simulation.
The mesh generation or discretization also takes place in this stage. Creating an optimal mesh is time-consuming and labor-intensive. In addition, the accuracy of the simulation is reliant on the number of grid points.
High gradient regions usually need more grid points, and larger grids are more expensive computation-wise and take more memory and time.
In this stage, the numbers are crunched,, and problems are solved to obtain a successful model for the prescribed conditions.
The analyst establishes the solution set for the design by making physical and numeral adjustments to the model like material properties, domain properties, boundary conditions, initial conditions, numerical schemes, and convergence criteria.
After the analyst achieves the appropriate solution set, the model and the flow field are visualized and verified, the desired flow field properties are extracted, and the simulation model is validated. Finally, all these details are documented as part of the post-processing stage.
The primary reason why CFD Analysis is adopted during the design stage is to reduce physical testing by a lot. Although CFD does not eliminate the necessity for physical testing, it changes the manner of testing and experimentation.
Parametric studies in CFD paves the way for design analysts to explore the unseen areas of a problem. Robust prototypes can be designed with simple validations and verifications within a short period and at a lower price when compared with physical testing.
CFD analysis can be helpful for a wide range of AEC projects – manufacturing plants, residential buildings, healthcare institutions, laboratory facilities, landmark office complexes, data centers or server rooms, etc.
Check out the Case Study on the CFD Analysis for Cooling Tower & Chiller Yards.
Using CFD in the following areas, you can lower your initial capital costs and estimate energy-efficient designs for your building, saving costs in the long haul.
Wind properties like velocity, temperature, and direction can significantly affect structures like tall buildings, billboards, solar panels, etc. Using experimental testing in the preliminary design stage of a construction with CFD to perform simulations on the conditions can ensure tall and robust structures.
The bending and twisting phenomenon of structures are easily evaluated using CFD Simulations without using tabulated values from existing standards and codes. In addition, other properties like temperature and direction of the wind can be studied to determine HVAC solutions for the building.
As mentioned above, CFD analysis can help determine the suitable HVAC solution for a building. It can also examine HVAC (Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems and their parts to check their efficiency and effectiveness.
CFD Analysis can be used on HVAC parts like fans, compressors, pumps, etc., to test their performance, investigate the flow field, make adjustments accordingly to optimize heating and cooling equipment. By testing and implementing these solutions, owners can enjoy reduced costs and energy for building operations.
The thermal conditions of a building are dependant on air velocity, humidity, and temperature of the site location, which can change through seasons. These conditions can be predicted using fluid simulation.
Using CFD, engineers/architects can test and visualize heat transfer, airflow, air supply outlets, inlets, etc., and help designers include measures on their building design to create optimal thermal conditions for the buildings. This is especially helpful for data centers where optimal thermal conditions are necessary, and energy costs tend to hit the roof if not managed well.
Also Read: Case Study – Boiler Combustion Analysis
Wind tunnel testing methods are replaced with CFD to create intelligent ventilation solutions for buildings.
For instance, in buildings prone to accumulations of toxins and contaminants like hospitals, laboratories, testing facilities, factories, cleaning rooms, etc., proper air ventilation is vital. Therefore, facilities should ensure the air quality and contaminant concentrations are constantly monitored and appropriate facilities for ventilation and recycling of clean air are established.
Using CFD Analysis, engineers can evaluate fluid properties within and outside the building and test models to achieve the best-suited solution for the facility.
According to IEA, the building sector is responsible for about 40% of total energy consumption globally. So to put the world on track to achieve international climate and energy efficiency goals, Green Buildings have become the way to go.
Using on-site CFD Simulations, the relationship between a building and other buildings around it, including wind and thermal properties can be studied. These studies can implement building designs that entirely use the site conditions in all possible seasons to reduce energy consumption.
Data centers can primarily implement this feature that requires extensive energy consumption for redundancy.
Mechartes used CFD Analysis to study the airflow around a project building & other buildings due to the wind and heat generated by outdoor air conditioners installed in high-rise projects on other surrounding buildings in the worst-case scenario.
Mechartes found that the outdoor air conditioners in surrounding buildings had an effect on the thermal conditions of the project building. These observations can be used to determine suitable HVAC solutions for the building.
CFD Analysis is a sophisticated technology and requires CFD Analysts to conduct simulations for which designers may usually lack the time or expertise. Therefore, to determine the best airflow strategy for your project, outsourcing CFD Experts can be beneficial.
Mechartes has demonstrated experience in diverse projects. As CFD Analysts and Simulation Experts, Mechartes’s team of highly skilled engineers can precisely craft models and environmental conditions to determine key performance insights.
We are a collaborative team of analysts, engineers, and consultants who can explore areas for improvements for flawless designs that pay off in the long run.
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