Application of integrating multi-zone model with CFD simulation to natural ventilation prediction

Predicting the performance of natural ventilation is difficult, especially for large scale naturally ventilated buildings, due to the lack of accurate and efficient prediction tools. This paper presents a strategy, integrating a multi-zone model and computational fluid dynamics (CFD), to improve natural ventilation prediction and design methods. Large openings and atrium configurations are broadly used in naturally ventilated buildings to promote buoyancy force and optimize air movement. How to properly deal with this typical configuration for a multi-zone model and integrated simulation is discussed and compared in this paper. In order to validate a newly developed multi-zone model program, MMPN, this paper investigated both buoyancy ventilation and wind-buoyancy combined ventilation. Integration strategies, transferring data (velocity or pressure) from a multi-zone model program to CFD as boundary conditions, are also studied.