Evaluating the performance of natural ventilation in buildings through simulation and on-site monitoring

Abstract

Natural ventilation in buildings is capable of reducing energy consumption while maintaining a comfortable indoor at the same time. It is important that natural ventilation is taken into consideration in the early design stage, probably through simulation program. However, existing simulation programs are limited because of their model assumption, simulation efficiency and user friendliness. In this document a simulation program, CoolVent, is presented. It implements a multi-node, thermal and energy coupled model to simulate natural ventilation in buildings. The program is validated to be effective and efficient in simulation. Combined with the DOE building database, CoolVent evaluates the performance of different ventilation modes in different types of building and weather conditions. The second half of this thesis includes a detailed on-site monitoring study of a naturally ventilated building in Boston. It details the post-occupancy system characteristics. The monitoring results have also been compared with CoolVent. The simulation results are verified by comparing with the monitored ones. The program is then used to evaluate the potential of improved operation.