Simulation of urban microclimate with uhiSolver: software validation using simplified material data

Abstract

Background: Increasing urbanization as well as global warming requires an investigation of the influence of different construction methods and ground surfaces on the urban heat island effect (UHI effect). The extent of the influence of the urban structure, the building materials used and their surfaces on the UHI effect can be significantly reduced already in the planning phase using a designated OpenFOAM-based solver “uhiSolver”. Results: In the first part of this research work, it is shown that inner building details and components can be neglected while still obtaining sufficiently accurate results. For this purpose, the building model was divided into two layers: a surface layer without mass, where the interaction with radiation takes place, and a component layer, which contains all relevant components and cavities of the building represented with mass-averaged material properties. It has become apparent that the three parameters—albedo, heat capacity and thermal resistance—which have a decisive influence on the interaction, have different effects on the component temperatures and the surface temperatures. In the second part of this research work, dynamic 3D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations are performed with uhiSolver for a residential block in Vienna. Comparing the simulation results with measurement data collected on site, it is shown that the simplified assumption of homogeneous material data for building bodies provides very good results for the validation case investigated. However, the influence of the greening measures in the courtyard of the residential block on the air temperature is found to be negligible. Furthermore, it was observed that due to locally higher radiation density, lower air velocities and higher air humidity, the apparent temperature in the courtyard is sometimes perceived to be higher than in the adjacent streets, despite the lower air temperature. Conclusions: Simplifying the modeling process of the uhiSolver software by reducing the model complexity helps to reduce manual work for setting up appropriate boundary conditions of buildings. Compared to market competitors, good results are obtained for the validation case Kandlgasse presented in this research work, despite the simplifications proposed. Thus, uhiSolver can be used as a robust analytical tool for urban planning.