Abstract

SANCHEZ, José et al. Natural ventilation: CFD aerodynamic study about passive extractor and windcatcher. Rev. ing. constr. [online]. 2012, vol.27, n.1, pp. 40-56. ISSN 0718-5073.  doi: 10.4067/S0718-50732012000100003.

In recent years, natural ventilation has won popularity as an energy saving measure for buildings. There are two fundamental principles of natural ventilation: natural draft by temperature differences, and wind force. The purpose of the article is to analyze the aerodynamics of windcatchers and wind-extractors by means of computational fluid mechanics, optimizing the geometries of these elements, and giving a simplified model as a result of the work, so as to include it in the aeraulic calculation of the buildings' air conditioning systems. Therefore, a base for wind catching geometries has been characterized, and a guide for the design of extraction geometries has been developed; several of them are offered as a result of the work undertaken.

Keywords : Windcatcher; passive elements; natural ventilation; pressure coefficient; CFD.