Unsteady flow analysis of hinged and sliding door openings

Abstract

Existing thermal condition and indoor air quality have a big impact on our work performance, comfort, and health in an indoor environment. Apart from many other parameters, door motions and human movements play crucial role in mass and thermal exchange affecting safety and/or energy management issues in various situations. An isolation room in a hospital setup, for instance, helps to protect patients and staff against the risk of infection by airborne pathogens. Another example is cold storage room facilities, where temperature and moisture control are the key parameters for an optimal operation and energy usage. In this study, we present a transient flow analysis of door motions in indoor environment. The flow physics is resolved by solving 3D compressible RANS (Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes) equations together with the energy and species transport equations and two-equation turbulence models utilizing an overset mesh strategy to address the rigid body motion of doors in a relevant fluid domain involving air and sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆). Simulations are performed for three different types of doors, namely a hinged door, a two-way sliding door, and a sliding door considering door opening and closing phases. Transient flow-field data through the door opening area have been processed and a comparative analysis is performed considering the mass flux of the constituents, normal velocity, cumulative mass exchange through the different doors.