Air Exchange Rate Analysis of the Arcade-Type Traditional Market Using Wind Tunnel Experiment and CFD Model

Abstract

Many traditional markets in Korea have been remodeled into arcade-type malls. The openings along the arcade roof are an important design factor that makes the marketplace more comfortable, healthy, and safe. Thus, a wind tunnel test and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model analyses have been conducted to determine the optimal openings in terms of size and location. A 1/20-scaled model for an arcade-type traditional market was constructed. Experiments were also constructed in a wind tunnel. The test variables were the opening ratios of 100% and 0% and the wind directions of 0° and 90°. In this study, to validate and quantify the air exchange rate in the model, SF6 as a tracer gas was employed. The tracer gas was released into the scaled model and the concentration of the gas within the model was monitored to predict air change rates. The gas was injected at a constant rate during the experiment and its concentration was measured with a precise gas monitor. The wind tunnel experiment was used to validate the CFD model. The results of the wind tunnel experiment were carefully reviewed and compared with the output results of the CFD model. This validated CFD model was used for many analyses, which reviewed various design parameters of the arcade roofs. Through these validations, the optimized opening design is offered. © 2006, Architectural Institute of Japan. All rights reserved.