title: CFD simulation of contaminant decay for high reynolds flow in a controlled environment.
abstract: This study examines the usage of computational fluid dynamics (CFDs) for estimating the time-elapsed decay of contaminants within a chamber experiencing high Reynolds flow. CFD results were compared with measurements taken at a controlled facility. In addition, parameters of the CFD simulation were examined; namely the effects of turbulence and inertial transport at high Reynolds number ventilating flows, as well as inlet duct configuration and its effect on the inlet velocity profile. The agreement between the computational and experimental clearance times was quite good, with percent errors as low as -5.32% at high flow rate and -11.8% at the lower flow rate. This study determined that for high Reynolds flow, diffusive transport effects may be ignored as the majority of mass is transported via the bulk stream, i.e. momentum transport. In addition, resolving the inlet velocity profile was of prime importance for accurate simulation of ventilating flows and prediction of contaminant washout. This was done by including the inlet duct geometry in the computational domain. In addition, it was found that despite different flow rates, the predicted contaminant washout took approximately 12-13% longer than predicted assuming instantaneous mixing. Furthermore, percent error between computational and experimental data as low as -5.32% shows that CFD is a useful tool for studying ventilation phenomena.
authors: Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Iowa, Center for the Engineering Arts and Sciences, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA. andrew-lambert@uiowa.edu
authors: Andrew R
authors: AR
authors: Lambert
authors: Ching-Long
authors: CL
authors: Lin
authors: Eunice
authors: E
authors: Mardorf
authors: Patrick
authors: P
authors: O'Shaughnessy
mesh_terms: D000392:Air Movements; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000032:analysis; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004058:Diffusion; D004780:Environment, Controlled; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D057446:Hydrodynamics; D007700:Kinetics; D008956:Models, Chemical; D013997:Time Factors; D014691:Ventilation
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D002245:Carbon Dioxide