A validation process for CFD use in building physics.

Abstract

peer reviewedDue to growing interests in environmental and building energy performance concerns, building physics simulations - and especially Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) – are more and more used. Unfortunately, until now, there is no clearly defined method to validate the use of these models by building engineers. This paper describes a validation process of CFD tools dealing with physical phenomena occurring in building physics. The comparison between experimental data and numerical results proves the validity of CFD use and its specific contribution to building physics modelling in comparison with thermal multizonal models. Thanks to this validation process, building engineers can improve their CFD simulations performance and their comprehension of building physics.SImulation Multiphysique du BAtiment (SIMBA