Study of mixing under floor air distribution using zonal model-based simulation and experimental measurements

The major function of HVAC systems is to create comfortable and healthy indoor environment to occupants. Compared to traditional mechanical ventilation such as overhead ventilation and displacement ventilation, mixing under floor air distribution (UFAD) is a more effective ventilation system because it incorporates the advantages of overhead ventilation and displacement ventilation. When predicting the performance of a ventilation system, zonal model is a good method as its complexity and function are between the multi-zone model and CFD model, which are the widely used two numerical simulation methods for indoor environment. Multi-zone model is a so simplified method that it cannot provide environmental details but, as a very detailed calculation tool, CFD requires high computational cost and highly educated simulation users. Zonal model offers some level of detailed environmental information with very limited computational cost.;This thesis presents the potential of using zonal model to simulate indoor airflow and temperature distributions for a lab-scale mixing UFAD system. At first, this work has re-derived the numerical algorithms for the zonal model targeting mixing UFAD application by following the direction of an established zonal model -- POMA. A computer program from re-derived zonal model thus has been developed, where the numerical algorithm has been disaggregated into two separate components: natural convection and mechanical convection. The re-derived zonal model and the newly developed computer program have been validated using lab experiments under mixing UFAD ventilation. The comparison figures have validated that the re-derived zonal model can accurately predict temperature distributions and reasonably estimate airflows for mixing UFAD ventilation.