Natural ventilation can be an attractive alternative to traditional mechanical ventilation systems in office buildings. However, predicting ventilation performance at the preliminary design stage can serve as a barrier. This paper describes the development and application of a simple design tool aimed at overcoming this problem. It is a computer program that couples an airflow algorithm with a thermal model. Simulations were made using this model to determine the most significant parameters needed to evaluate the performance of naturally driven ventilation. By using these results, a set of equations was derived that enables the optimization of ventilation design for good indoor climate and temperature in offices to be achieved as part of the design process.

This paper outlines the method used for developing the computer simulation tool, the statistical analysis approach, and results and conclusions derived from this work.

Authors: Charlotte Svensson, Soren Aggerholm
Citation: IAQ and Energy 98: Using ASHRAE Standards 62 and 90.1 Conference Papers
Keywords: October, Louisiana, 1998