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Nowadays different kinds of double-skin facades are developed and used in new architectural projects. The aim of these facades is, on the one hand, to increase internal comfort and, on the other hand, to decrease energy consumption. In order to optimise the overall performance of the double-skin facades, their detailed behaviour needs to be better understood. The prediction of the airflow within the channel (between the two glazings) is very important for understanding of the double-skin facades behaviour, especially in summer conditions. A comprehensive modelling of a compact double-skin facade equipped with a venetian blind and forced ventilation is proposed here. The modelling is done using the CFD (computational fluid dynamics) approach to assess the air movement within the ventilated facade channel. Three-dimensional airflow is modelled using a homogeneous porous media representation, in order to reduce the size of the mathematical model. A parametric study is proposed here, analysing the impact of three parameters on the airflow development: slat tilt angle, blind position and air outlet position. The distance between the blind and the external glazing was found to have a major impact on the velocity profiles inside the double-skin facade channel. Keywords: CFD simulations; Double-skin facade; Venetian blind

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2004.09.016 Byline: Nassim Safer, Monika Woloszyn, Jean Jacques Roux Keywords: CFD simulations; Double-skin facade; Venetian blind Abstract: Nowadays different kinds of double-skin facades are developed and used in new architectural projects. The aim of these facades is, on the one hand, to increase internal comfort and, on the other hand, to decrease energy consumption. In order to optimise the overall performance of the double-skin facades, their detailed behaviour needs to be better understood. The prediction of the airflow within the channel (between the two glazings) is very important for understanding of the double-skin facades behaviour, especially in summer conditions. A comprehensive modelling of a compact double-skin facade equipped with a venetian blind and forced ventilation is proposed here. The modelling is done using the CFD (computational fluid dynamics) approach to assess the air movement within the ventilated facade channel. Three-dimensional airflow is modelled using a homogeneous porous media representation, in order to reduce the size of the mathematical model. A parametric study is proposed here, analysing the impact of three parameters on the airflow development: slat tilt angle, blind position and air outlet position. The distance between the blind and the external glazing was found to have a major impact on the velocity profiles inside the double-skin facade channel. Author Affiliation: Thermal Sciences Centre (CETHIL): CNRS UMR 5008, INSA de Lyon, UCBL, INSA, bAcentst. Freyssinet, 20 av. A. Einstein, 69621 Villeurbanne, France Article History: Received 7 April 2004; Revised 16 September 2004; Accepted 22 September 2004 Article Note: (miscellaneous) Communicated by: Associate Editor Jean-Louis Scartezzini