Numerical simulation of the wind field around different building arrangements

A numerical model with the RNG kappa-epsilon turbulence closure model and a pressure correction algorithm of SIMPLEC is used to examine three different building configuration effects on wind flow. Comparisons of computational results with experimental data have been carried out for the vertical velocity profiles at some measurement points. For the experimental study, the building arrangements were presented by 1:150 scale models and tested in a low-speed wind tunnel. It was found that the wind environment for two improved arrangements with lower interval-to-height ratio is better than that for the reference layout with higher aspect ratio in terms of the natural ventilation. The interference effect is more obvious for two improved arrangements than the reference one. The numerical results also show that changing wind direction from perpendicular to the building facades to a 45 degrees-incidence angle has significant effect on the flow field for different configurations. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.