Windcatchers in Modern UK Buildings: Experimental Study
Stuart
Kirk and Maria Kolokotroni
Department
of Mechanical Engineering, Brunel University, Middlesex, UB8 3PH, UK
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Abstract
Top down natural
ventilation systems, usually referred to as ‘windcatchers’, have been
used recently in modern non-domestic buildings in the UK. These systems
combine inlet and outlet into a single roof mounted terminal, which is
split into sections. Literature exists on theoretical, scale modelling and
wind tunnel tests to evaluate the performance of the systems; however
there is a scarcity of performance in-use tests. This paper presents the
results of air exchange rate tests using the tracer gas decay method
carried out in three operational buildings with windcatchers. It was found
that air exchange rates are related to wind speed. However, for low wind
speeds a correlation was found to internal external temperature difference
indicating the effect of buoyancy forces. It was also identified that,
during periods when wind and buoyancy pressures are of a similar
magnitude, then the determination of the air exchange rate within the
space becomes more complex.
Key words: windcatcher,
wind, buoyancy, natural ventilation, non-domestic buildings.
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