Study of Natural Ventilation Potential and Performance for the Undergroun Utility Corridor Using Numerical Method

Abstract

The utilization of urban underground space is a strategic choice to solve land space shortage, traffic congestion and environmental pollution. The underground corridor serves as both commercial and entertainment spaces. Proper natural ventilation system is believed to combine the advantages of good indoor air environment and high energy efficiency. In the present study, field experiments and numerical simulation are performed to compare the natural ventilation performance in the underground utility corridor under different layout of gates and skylights during the transitional season. The results show that the overall Richardson number is calculated to analyze the dominant driving force of the corridor. Second, it has been found that the arrangement of skylights and asymmetric gates can well promote natural ventilation in the corridor. The air exchange rate of the corridor with asymmetrical outlet is 10% higher than that with symmetrical outlet under the conditions in this study. Third, the wind speed at the openings in the middle of the corridor is higher than that of other openings in the corridor with skylights.