Analysis of computer simulation of natural ventilation in dwellings with social interest

• Grant number: 14/06860-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: October 01, 2014
• End date: September 30, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Civil Engineering - Construction Industry
• Principal Investigator: Fernando Akira Kurokawa
• Grantee: Juliana Harumi Sonoda
• Host Institution: Escola Politécnica (EP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

In order to improve the quality of life of low-income population, to solve the housing issue and revitalize the city, some projects have been created to ensure decent housing to the population and promote social inclusion. Since the nineties, an alternative that has been much adopted is the construction of dwellings with social interest (HIS). HIS are made for low-income population, which is why natural ventilation is an effective and economical way to improve the thermal comfort inside these houses. It refreshes the air in the building, reducing the chances of having Sick Building Syndrome (SBC) and improving indoor air quality (IAQ). For a better comprehension and to solve challenging environments, as regards to the circulation of the air flow inside the building, the computer simulation has been widely used in buildings. There are several computational tools based on Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) that can be used for this purpose. The introduction of CFD software makes easier to find solutions that would be difficult with an experimental study. Based on this context, it is very relevant a numerical analysis of natural ventilation in order to analyze the behavior of the air flow inside a housing. The aim of this research is to study and analyze the airflow of a typology of HIS, using a computational tool Design Builder CFD in order to have a adequate air quality and an appropriate degree of thermal comfort for occupants.