Urban Microclimate Scale CFD Simulation

2016 CAD-IT ANSYS Convergence - Singapore

Daniel HII Jun Chung

PhD Candidate, Department of Building, School of Design & Environment, NUS
dhjc@u.nus.edu

Prof. WONG Nyuk Hien (Supervisor)

bdgwnh@nus.edu.sg

26 April 2016
Content

• Introduction: field, scale, workflow

• Examples: natural ventilation, morphology, urban heat

• Conclusion

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Introduction: Urban physics / environmental wind engineering

Link between grand societal challenges and urban physics focus areas. (Blocken, 2015)

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Introduction: Urban scales

Sketch of the urban boundary layer structure indicating Spatial and temporal scales of atmospheric phenomena and how these phenomena are
the various (sub)layers and their names. (Rotach et al., treated in Reynolds-averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) mesoscale or obstacle resolving
2004; modified after Oke, 1987) microscale models (right columns). (Blocken, 2015)
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Introduction: ANSYS CFD workflow

Analysis &
3D Modeling Meshing Solver Visualization
CEI Ensight

Autodesk AutoCAD ANSYS Meshing

ANSYS Design Modeler ANSYS Fluent
McNeel Rhinoceros CFD-Post
ANSYS Icepak

ANSYS Workbench

Turbulence model: RANS Realizable k- ε (Steady & Transient)

Energy model: S2S & solar load radiation, gravity (buoyancy)
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Examples

1. Low Density: Educational - secondary school, junior college (thermal comfort)

2. High Density: Residential - high-rise housing (urban morphology)

3. Very High Density: Commercial - Central Business District (urban heat)

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Example 1: Natural ventilation for thermal comfort
Coral Secondary School

Site Plan Class Plan

Class Perspective 7
Example 1: Natural ventilation for thermal comfort

North-East Monsoon period South-West Monsoon period

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Example 1: Natural ventilation for thermal comfort
Serangoon
Junior College

Site Plan Class Plan

Class Perspective

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Example 1: Natural ventilation for thermal comfort

North-East Monsoon period South-West Monsoon period

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Example 2: Housing precinct morphology study
92 cases in total

Cases Distribution Worldwide

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Example 2: Housing precinct morphology study
Guancheng_Shijia, Shenzhen Spandau, Berlin Borneo_whale, Amsterdam Parque_Modelo, Mexico City

n.FAR : 3.03 n.FAR : 3.14 n.FAR : 3.17 n.FAR : 3.35

g.FAR: 2.69 g.FAR: 2.69 g.FAR: 2.25 g.FAR: 2.43

Messina_01, Paris Skyville_Dawson, Singapore Bumps, Beijing Tung_Chung_Crescent, Hong

Kong

n.FAR : 3.42 n.FAR : 3.90 n.FAR : 4.08 n.FAR : 4.08

g.FAR: 2.79 g.FAR: 3.29 g.FAR: 3.36 g.FAR: 3.38

Metro_harbour, Hong Kong Shininome, Tokyo Paris_002, Paris Royal_Peninsula, Hong Kong

Some examples of
housing typologies
n.FAR : 4.65 n.FAR : 5.16 n.FAR : 5.97 n.FAR : 8.09
g.FAR: 3.92 g.FAR: 4.65 g.FAR: 3.99 g.FAR: 6.53 12
Example 2: Housing precinct morphology study

N N N

Original site Normalized site

Theoretically homogenous context

A Punggol typology being normalized in the 3X3 setup

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URBAN CASES DATABASE
Example 2: Housing precinct morphology study

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Example 3: Urban heat (anthropogenic)

Bus surfaces under thermal imaging

Roadside measurement equipment Fluke TiR125 thermal imager
on the 1.2m high tripod

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Roadside measurement at the bus stop in the urban canyon in the afternoon
Example 3: Urban heat (anthropogenic)

50°C at 6m/s (left) 50°C at 14m/s (left)

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50°C at 6m/s (right) 50°C at 14m/s (right)
Example 3: Urban heat (anthropogenic)

Parallel Flow (Plan) Perpendicular Flow (Plan)

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Example 3: Urban heat (anthropogenic)

Parallel Flow (Left Elevation) Perpendicular Flow (Left Elevation)

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Example 3: Urban heat (anthropogenic)

Various vehicles in the urban canyon

Example 3: Urban heat (anthropogenic)

North Wind Flow

East Wind Flow

North East Wind Flow

 Conclusion
-ANSYS CFD helps to solve design issues in the field of urban design, building and architecture
(thermal comfort, urban morphologies, urban heat island).

What we hope for:

-Better hexahedral + prism meshing for the field.
-Availability of built material properties, models (thermal comfort), wizards (wind profile).
-Realistic tree models (shading and evapotranspiration).
-Better integration with mesoscale (Weather Research Forecasting), microscale
(Urban Canopy Model) & building scale (EnergyPlus) simulations.

Schematic representation of the six spatial scales in urban physics, their typical maximum horizontal length scales and associated model categories. NWP =
Numerical Weather Prediction; MMM = Mesoscale Meteorological Model; CFD = Computational Fluid Dynamics; BES = Building Energy Simulation; BC-HAM =
Building Component e Heat, Air, Moisture transfer; MSM = Material Science Model; HTM = Human Thermophysiology Model. (Blocken, 2015)
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CAD-IT Support: Dr. Ma Shengwei
Dr. Lee Yong Jiun

Thank You

dhjc@u.nus.edu

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