Determination of the Effect of Wall Heating Systems on Convective Heat Transfer Coefficient in Buildings

Decreasing energy consumption and advancing thermal comfort are the most important aims of building engineering. Previously reported studies by many researchers have found that different usages of convective heat transfer coefficient (CHTC) correlations in heating system simulations have considerable impacts on calculated heating load in buildings. Hence, correct utilization of CHTCs in real size room enclosures has great importance for both energy consumption and thermal comfort. In this study, a modeled room was numerically heated from one vertical wall and cooled from the opposite wall in order to create a real room simulation. While cooled wall simulate heat losses of the room, heated wall simulates the heat source of enclosure. Effects of heated and cooled wall temperatures and characteristic length on CHTC and Nusselt number in the enclosure were numerically investigated for two (2-D) and three dimensional (3-D) modeling states. CHTCs and Nusselt numbers of a real size room with the dimensions of 6.00 by 2.85 by 6.00 were found with FLUENT CFD and graphics of change were drawn. As result, difference between 2-D and 3-D solutions was found approximately 10%. This was attributed as the effect of air flow pattern effects over other surfaces in the enclosure that can not be counted at 2-D solutions. The change of CHTC at different characteristic lengths was illustrated as well.