Optimising the computational domain size in CFD simulations of tall buildings
Recently, there has been a growing interest in utilizing computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for wind resistant design of tall buildings. A key factor that influences the accuracy and computational expense of CFD simulations is the size of the computational domain. In this paper, the effect of the co...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2021-04-01
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| Series: | Heliyon |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844021008264 |
| _version_ | 1818664641719435264 |
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| author | Yousef Abu-Zidan Priyan Mendis Tharaka Gunawardena |
| author_facet | Yousef Abu-Zidan Priyan Mendis Tharaka Gunawardena |
| author_sort | Yousef Abu-Zidan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Recently, there has been a growing interest in utilizing computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for wind resistant design of tall buildings. A key factor that influences the accuracy and computational expense of CFD simulations is the size of the computational domain. In this paper, the effect of the computational domain on CFD predictions of wind loads on tall buildings is investigated with a series of sensitivity studies. Four distinct sources of domain error are identified which include wind-blocking effects caused by short upstream length, flow recirculation due to insufficient downstream length, global venturi effects due to large blockage ratios, and local venturi effects caused by insufficient clearance between the building and top and lateral domain boundaries. Domains based on computational wind engineering guidelines are found to be overly conservative when applied to tall buildings, resulting in uneconomic grids with a large cell count. A framework for optimizing the computational domain is proposed which is based on monitoring sensitivity of key output metrics to variations in domain dimensions. The findings of this paper help inform modellers of potential issues when optimizing the computational domain size for tall building simulations. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-17T05:35:58Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c4ef0a01877845d78beb10f0cdd95742 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2405-8440 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-17T05:35:58Z |
| publishDate | 2021-04-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Heliyon |
| spelling | doaj.art-c4ef0a01877845d78beb10f0cdd957422022-12-21T22:01:37ZengElsevierHeliyon2405-84402021-04-0174e06723Optimising the computational domain size in CFD simulations of tall buildingsYousef Abu-Zidan0Priyan Mendis1Tharaka Gunawardena2Corresponding author.; Department of Infrastructure Engineering, The University of Melbourne, VIC 3010, AustraliaDepartment of Infrastructure Engineering, The University of Melbourne, VIC 3010, AustraliaDepartment of Infrastructure Engineering, The University of Melbourne, VIC 3010, AustraliaRecently, there has been a growing interest in utilizing computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for wind resistant design of tall buildings. A key factor that influences the accuracy and computational expense of CFD simulations is the size of the computational domain. In this paper, the effect of the computational domain on CFD predictions of wind loads on tall buildings is investigated with a series of sensitivity studies. Four distinct sources of domain error are identified which include wind-blocking effects caused by short upstream length, flow recirculation due to insufficient downstream length, global venturi effects due to large blockage ratios, and local venturi effects caused by insufficient clearance between the building and top and lateral domain boundaries. Domains based on computational wind engineering guidelines are found to be overly conservative when applied to tall buildings, resulting in uneconomic grids with a large cell count. A framework for optimizing the computational domain is proposed which is based on monitoring sensitivity of key output metrics to variations in domain dimensions. The findings of this paper help inform modellers of potential issues when optimizing the computational domain size for tall building simulations.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844021008264Computational domainTall buildingsCFD simulationWind loadingVenturi effect |
| spellingShingle | Yousef Abu-Zidan Priyan Mendis Tharaka Gunawardena Optimising the computational domain size in CFD simulations of tall buildings Heliyon Computational domain Tall buildings CFD simulation Wind loading Venturi effect |
| title | Optimising the computational domain size in CFD simulations of tall buildings |
| title_full | Optimising the computational domain size in CFD simulations of tall buildings |
| title_fullStr | Optimising the computational domain size in CFD simulations of tall buildings |
| title_full_unstemmed | Optimising the computational domain size in CFD simulations of tall buildings |
| title_short | Optimising the computational domain size in CFD simulations of tall buildings |
| title_sort | optimising the computational domain size in cfd simulations of tall buildings |
| topic | Computational domain Tall buildings CFD simulation Wind loading Venturi effect |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844021008264 |
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