Journal article
CFD simulation of contaminant decay for high reynolds flow in a controlled environment
The Annals of occupational hygiene, Vol.54(1), pp.88-99
01/2010
DOI: 10.1093/annhyg/mep057
PMCID: PMC2852149
PMID: 19671796
Abstract
This study examines the usage of computational fluid dynamics (CFDs) for estimating the time-elapsed decay of contaminants within a chamber experiencing high Reynolds flow. CFD results were compared with measurements taken at a controlled facility. In addition, parameters of the CFD simulation were examined; namely the effects of turbulence and inertial transport at high Reynolds number ventilating flows, as well as inlet duct configuration and its effect on the inlet velocity profile. The agreement between the computational and experimental clearance times was quite good, with percent errors as low as -5.32% at high flow rate and -11.8% at the lower flow rate. This study determined that for high Reynolds flow, diffusive transport effects may be ignored as the majority of mass is transported via the bulk stream, i.e. momentum transport. In addition, resolving the inlet velocity profile was of prime importance for accurate simulation of ventilating flows and prediction of contaminant washout. This was done by including the inlet duct geometry in the computational domain. In addition, it was found that despite different flow rates, the predicted contaminant washout took approximately 12-13% longer than predicted assuming instantaneous mixing. Furthermore, percent error between computational and experimental data as low as -5.32% shows that CFD is a useful tool for studying ventilation phenomena.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- CFD simulation of contaminant decay for high reynolds flow in a controlled environment
- Creators
- Andrew R Lambert - Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Iowa, Center for the Engineering Arts and Sciences, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA. andrew-lambert@uiowa.eduChing-Long LinEunice MardorfPatrick O'Shaughnessy
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- The Annals of occupational hygiene, Vol.54(1), pp.88-99
- Publisher
- England
- DOI
- 10.1093/annhyg/mep057
- PMID
- 19671796
- PMCID
- PMC2852149
- ISSN
- 0003-4878
- eISSN
- 1475-3162
- Grant note
- P30 ES05605 / NIEHS NIH HHS
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 01/2010
- Academic Unit
- Roy J. Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering; Radiology; Civil and Environmental Engineering; Occupational and Environmental Health; Mechanical Engineering
- Record Identifier
- 9983997343002771
Metrics
29 Record Views