| EPSRC Reference: |
GR/S45072/01 |
| Title: |
Thermal stratification in buildings driven by complex heat distributions |
| Principal Investigator: |
Hunt, Professor G |
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| Department: |
Civil & Environmental Engineering |
| Organisation: |
Imperial College London |
| Scheme: |
Standard Research (Pre-FEC) |
| Starts: |
06 October 2003 |
Ends: |
05 April 2006 |
Value (£): |
175,786
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| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
| Building Ops & Management |
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
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Laboratory experiments in water tanks will be undertaken in order to simulate the flow of air in naturally-ventilated buildings driven by a range of realistic heat distributions. The first stage of the experimental programme will focus on measuring the time-dependent thermal stratification and ventilating flow driven by multiple, localised heat sources at different heights in a ventilated space as in, for example, a tiered auditoria where the audience provide the heat input. Sources of saline solution will be used to represent the heat inputs and sophisticated flow visualisation, measurement and digital-imageanalysis techniques used to obtain accurate measurements of the flow. To complement the laboratory measurements, the thermal stratification in a tiered auditoria at Imperial College will be measured using a vertical array of thermocouples. In parallel, a simplified theoretical model that captures the essential physics of these airflows will be developed and validated by comparison with both data sets. The second stage of the experiments will examine the flows driven by area sources with uniform and non-uniform heat distributions. The focus will be the measurement of bulk flow properties within the plumes and on parameterising the near-field entrainment rate. These parameterisations will then assist in our development of improved theoretical models for realistic area sources and in our predictive capability of the flows they drive in ventilated buildings. Through liaison with industry (ARUPs and CIBSE) and with practicing architects the full implications of the research outcomes to low-energy building design will be explored.
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Key Findings |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Impacts |
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| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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| Project URL: |
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| Further Information: |
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| Organisation Website: |
http://www.imperial.ac.uk |