Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference:	GR/R69037/01
Title:	Modelling Airflow in Ventilated Spaces
Principal Investigator:	Lane Serff, Dr G
Other Investigators:
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Department:	Mechanical Aerospace and Civil Eng
Organisation:	University of Manchester, The
Scheme:	Fast Stream
Starts:	01 October 2002	Ends:	28 February 2006	Value (£):	66,834
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:	Building Ops & Management
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:	Construction
Related Grants:
Panel History:
Summary on Grant Application Form
Substantial advances in our understanding of the fluid dynamics of building ventilation have come from laboratory simulations using water and salt solutions. It is possible to achieve high Reynolds number flows using such models becauses it is possible to generate relatively large density contrasts (upto 20%) and because of the lower value of the kinematic viscosity of water (compared to that of air). However, diffusive and radiative heat transfers are not accurately simulated by such laboratory models. The proposed research addresses this by direct comparisons between flows in an instrumented full-size test room and a corresponding laboratory (water) model.The project will use an existing test room set in a larger space, with an air-handling unit capable of supplying warmed or cooled air to the test room or the space around it. Initial tests on the thermal performance of the test room will be followed by a series of experiments of increasing complexity, with the experiments repeated in a scale model (1:10 to 1:20) using salt and water. These tests will include: (i) single heat source in unventilated space, (ii) forced mixing ventilation (iii) natural displacement ventilation, (iv) forced displacement ventilation, (v) more complex flows (e.g. windows, doors, multiple sources). All experiments (full scale and simulations) will be recorded and analysed using a sophisticated video and image processing system. In addition to the comparison between results from the test room and the laboratory, mathematical models of the flows will be constructed.
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Organisation Website:	http://www.man.ac.uk