ArchiWind results validation test case
The results from ArchiWind are validated against experimental results.
Experimental results from the Architectural Institute of Japan (AIJ) benchmark case E are used to validate the results obtained from ArchiWind. The AIJ benchmark case E investigates the flow through a small scale model of a neighbourhood in Niigata in Japan. In between the low-rise houses, three high-rise buildings are placed. The wind tunnel experiments were conducted at 1/250 scale of Niigata.
By uploading the geometry model in ArchiWind, the 3D model of Niigata is transferred into a discrete model upon where the turbulent flow solutions are calculated. Boundary conditions are specified according to the AIJ guidelines for practical applications of CFD to pedestrian wind environment around buildings. The below figures show the 3D model of Niigata and the wind velocity at pedestrian height level for westerly wind. Accelerated winds are observed around the tallest building, due to the the “downdraught effect” caused by the building itself.
The results are compared across 80 measurement points specified at several locations of interest in a plane corresponding to pedestrian height level. The time-averaged velocity at each point gained from ArchiWind is normalized and compared with the result from the corresponding measurement points from the wind tunnel.
As observed from the graph above, the simulated results gained from ArchiWind are in good agreement with the experimental measurements. The average deviation between the experiments and the simulation is less than 5%.