3D internal forced convection heat-transfer correlations from CFD for building performance simulation

Abstract

This study presents new correlations for internal forced convective heat-transfer coefficients (CHTCs) in buildings. CHTCs are used by building energy performance simulation (BES) tools to estimate the annual heating and cooling demands of buildings. Most programs use constant values or correlations but do not consider in detail the 3D geometry or the dimensions and positions of the inlet and outlet openings. The correlations developed here take into account 3D geometry and the dimensions and positions of the inlet/outlet openings in opposite walls. A new methodology has been developed for the calculation of CHTCs in 3D enclosures from two 2D planes, one with a horizontal orientation and another with a vertical orientation. Comparing the results from correlations with those from computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, the errors found are less than 15%. These correlations are easy to use in BES.