CFD study on effect of the air supply location on the performance of the displacement ventilation system

The purpose of this paper is to investigate using a numerical simulation (computational fluid dynamics or CFD) the effect of the air supply location on the design and performance of the displacement ventilation (DV) system. The results are reported in terms of thermal comfort and indoor air quality. The study focuses on the typical Hong Kong office under local thermal and boundary conditions. This includes the high cooling load used in Hong Kong. Several pollutants typically found in the office such as carbon dioxide and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were investigated. The results indicate that the supply should be located near the center of the room rather than to one side of the room. This will provide a more uniform thermal condition in the office. The DV system was found to be effective in dispersing VOCs within an office environment for all cases studied. The exhaust was found to have minimal effect on the thermal comfort. For a DV system in Hong Kong, it is possible to use 100% fresh air without extra energy consumption.