An engineering design analysis of a wind tower

This study investigates the integration of natural ventilation devices into new and existing buildings to meet legislative ventilation requirements. The work focus on the engineering design of a modern wind tower, moreover the individual contribution of each piece of the geometry to the overall effectiveness of the device. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is used to simulate the air flow and calculate the delivery rates for comparison against occupied space requirements. Presented here for the first time is full scale experimental testing of the device in the natural environment, and the effect of the geometrical variations in an actual building. The experimental work was used to validate the CFD investigations and generate useful performance data as opposed to controlled laboratory conditions testing. The results show that careful component design improves the performance of the device between 27-45%. Moreover, the wind tower exceeds the minimum legislative requirements at low external wind velocities without the aid of mechanical intervention. Each component is evaluated numerically and experimentally allowing designers and engineers to select and combine to create an individual wind tower to suit the occupied space requirements.