The use of deflectors to remove snowdrifts around buildings

摘要

Snowdrifts around buildings can accumulate in several different ways. The snowdrifts formed in wake zones, close to walls often represents the worst case for accessibility to buildings. To avoid snowdrift formation in the wake zones, deflectors can be deployed to destroy the flow pattern in the wake, and increase the wind velocity close to the accumulation surface. This can prohibit the accumulation of snow into snowdrifts. The effect of different size and position of deflectors have been examined in this study. The methods include Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), wind tunnel simulations and full-scale measurements. With the right installation, deflectors prove to be an effective means to avoid unwanted snow accumulation on and around buildings. This applies both to flat shaped deflectors mounted on the ridge of a building roof to avoid snow accumulation on the roof, and to curved deflectors mounted on the gable of the building. The shape of the deflector should be adapted to the actual snowdrift it is set to prohibit. Based on the experiments, it is possible to recommend the shape of the deflector based on performance of different installations. However, with such a dominant structure fixed to the wall of a building, the choice of deflector must also be based on aesthetics. Having this in mind, the validation of the testing methods performed in this study is valuable for designers and architects when designing new deflectors.