CFD Aids School Districts' Utilization of Thermal Displacement Ventilation - Software determines technology's feasibility in SoCal

摘要

School districts in Southern California are looking to increase the number of their schools that have air conditioning in an attempt to improve learning environments. One technology many school districts are interested in is thermal displacement ventilation (TDV), which stratifies air by temperature so only lower levels need to be cooled. AECOM, a global provider of professional technical- and management-support services, provided consultants to determine whether the use of TDV is feasible in Southern California schools and to provide guidelines on how the technology should be used. AECOM used computational-fluid-dynamics (CFD) software designed for building interiors to simulate the use of TDV in various classroom configurations. The consultants also developed guidelines for classroom suitability and furniture arrangement.