Improvement of Indoor Air Flow Quality under the Influence of Internal Partition Walls in Air-Conditioned Office Spaces Using CFD Method

The indoor airflow in the closed architectural space is also a function of the internal partition walls and their positions in the space, in addition to being dependent on the position and conditions of the blowers and suckers of the ventilation systems. Homogeneous and uniform airflow at the employee level is required for the provision of thermal comfort, which is not created mainly due to improper establishment of partition walls, as well as the positions of blowers and suckers, and in some parts, there is no desired airflow. The present study is carried out using a mixed research method involving empirical research, simulation and case study. In the present study, the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method is applied to predict the velocity and direction of indoor airflow in the closed office space and also to improve the homogeneity of the indoor air flow at the level of the employees of an administrative unit. The comparison between experimental measurements and numerical simulations identifies laboratory errors and confirms the validity of the research method, in addition to increasing the accuracy of calculations. All observations and tests are performed in a randomized case study in Ahvaz (an area with a hot semi-humid climate in which it is required to provide abundant cooling using mixed air conditioning systems). Numerical simulations of this study are carried out using Gambit software and Fluent software. The results show that in addition to the location of the airflow distributor valves, the position of the internal partition walls, in terms of their height, affects the indoor airflow, and the proper design of them can make the indoor airflow homogeneous and predictable