Turbulence modelling for indoor airflow simulation

For development of ventilation, and surface heating & cooling systems a precise knowledge of room airflow distribution is necessary. This requires an accurate method to describe the fluid dynamics in indoor airflows. In principle Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) can be used to solve complex three dimensional flows and heat transport phenomena, however past investigations have highlighted its shortcomings due to the turbulence models used. Additionally the rich variety of flow characteristics (low-Reynolds effects, buoyancy and turbulence induced motions etc.) makes it difficult to identify a single suitable turbulence model. In this paper, different turbulent flow phenomena are analysed and the requirements of turbulence models to resolve them are discussed.