Modelling and simulation of a jet fan for controlled air flow in large enclosures

Jet fans are applied for control of air flow and support of pollutant dispersal in large enclosures. In The Netherlands, application is well known for car parks as part of the fire safety design. In the design phase often the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)-technique is used to verify the fire safety level afforded by the application of jet fans. However, very little is known on the modelling requirements of jet fans in CFD. This includes paucity on experimental data that can be applied for validation of the jet fan model. In this study results are presented of measurements for a specific type of jet fan in a large enclosure and of validation of modelling characteristics of the jet fan in CFD. Both free and near-wall positioning have been investigated and a modelling proposal is made. For the modelling of the jet fan, point-of-departure is a low complexity, as the model generally will have to be included in large computational domains. Applicability of the developed approach and assessment of efficiency of jet fan positioning in large enclosures is shown through a case study. (2011). Modelling and simulation of a jet fan for controlled air flow in large enclosures.