Experimental and numerical study of a mechanically ventilated enclosure with thermal effects

Full-scale experimental and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods are used to investigate the velocity and temperature fields in a mechanically ventilated enclosure. Detailed airflow characteristics were measured in three cases of ventilation air temperature: an isothermal case, a hot case and a cold case. The experimental data were used to validate two CFD models: a Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes equation (RANS) modelling and a large Eddy simulation (LES) modelling. The RANS model provides results in better agreement with experimental data, excepted for the cold case. It has been found that the LES model underestimates the expansion of the jet in the three cases, disabling the use of this model for the prediction of the flow field in ventilated rooms. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.