Prediction of temperature rise near condensing units in the confined space of a high-rise building

Temperature rise in the confined space of a high-rise building due to heat rejected from condensing units can lead to uncomfortable thermal environment and deteriorative performance of the air-conditioning system. In this study, we numerically simulated fluid flow and temperature distribution in a confined space of a 16-storey high-rise residential building. It is found that the distance between the walls where the condensing units are installed is a critical parameter affecting temperature rise. To keep the temperature raise less than 10 °C, a minimum distance of 7 m is needed for a 16-storey high-rise building. Increase to the blowing velocity of the fans on condensers results in a higher temperature in the confined space due to the inverse influence on the natural convection induced by stack effect. However, temperature rise can be significantly attenuated if the blowing angle of the fans is tilted upward. The change of heat release rate of the condensers has more impact to the temperature distribution at high-level floors. The results of the numerical study provide useful physical insight and possible solutions to architectural and mechanical designers for an improved thermal environment.