Experimental and numerical investigation of the airflow around a raised permeable panel

Analysis of the airflow around an elevated permeable panel is presented in this paper. The airflow was studied by both a 3D computational simulation and a full scale experiment using two kinds of cladding material, namely an impermeable plastic film and permeable nets. The air velocity at different locations around the panel was measured by rotary cup anemometers in order to investigate the airflow. A three-dimensional numerical simulation (CFD) was employed to analyze the edge effects. In the numerical model, the net was simulated as a porous medium obeying Forchheimer’s law. Both numerical results and full-scale experiments indicate important differences between the airflow around the panel covered by impermeable material (film) and the airflow around and through the permeable panels (nets). Airflow around the elevated experimental panel was found to become smoother when the plastic film is replaced by permeable nets. The numerical results derived by the 3D computational model show good qualitative and quantitative agreement with the full scale experimental data in the case of permeable (net-covered) panels.