The study of air distribution quality in the summer section of Iranian dry climate houses equipped with wind tower

CFD simulations at various wind directions were performed to assess air distribution quality within a traditional Iranian dry climate house integrated with a four-sided wind tower. The house's summer room, parlor, connects the wind tower to a courtyard by its cross-openings, representing the layout of most vernacular houses in Yazd city, Iran. This study pursues the strategies applied in a traditional passive ventilation system by focusing on its interaction with adjoining architectural features and the surrounding environment.The urban terrain was simulated using Atmospheric Boundary Layer profiles and modeling the ground surface roughness. Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) parameters such as Mean Age of Air, Air Change Effectiveness, and Air Change Rate were analyzed.The CFD setup was validated through scaled wind tunnel experiments and repli-cating the same conditions in CFD modeling, which showed a good agreement. Results indicate that IAQ is acceptable at around 77% of the outdoor wind angles due to the courtyard's significant influence as the sec-ondary source of fresh air, leading to quick heat removal from the environment as an effective strategy that suits the hot-arid climate. Investigating the system's failures shows that IAQ is highly dependent on the flow pattern rather than the wind tower functionality.

Automated summary

This study used CFD simulations and analysis of indoor air quality parameters to evaluate the ventilation effect of wind towers in traditional Iranian houses. The results showed that in hot-dry climates, the courtyard, as a secondary source of fresh air, is an effective strategy for rapid heat removal.