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Modeling Jet Fans using FDS - Part 1: Background and Convergence ...

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Posted: February 17th, 2015

This post discusses modeling jet fans using FDS/PyroSim, with the eventual goal of modeling
parking garages. It starts with some background information that was useful to me in helping me
understand the problem. In preparation for a parking garage simulation, we first focus on a free
jet, comparing the results of a mesh convergence study with the experimentally derived
correlations for centerline velocity decay. This and the future garage simulation should help you
decide whether PyroSim is applicable to your jet fan application.
First the basics. FDS (the Fire Dynamics Simulator developed at NIST) solves the Navier-Stokes
equations using the Large Eddy Simulation (LES) method. In the LES approach, eddies on the
scale of the cell size are resolved and the effect of smaller eddies are approximated. This means
that the solution is transient and will vary with time at any point. This compares to the Reynolds
Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) approach which provides a time averaged solution.

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As will be demonstrated, the mesh size required to accurately match the experimental data for a
free jet from a duct are smaller than can be realistically incorporated in a typical design
application, such as a parking garage. The question then becomes, Are there approaches that
allow us to reasonably simulate a jet fan in a design calculation, while still being able to solve the
problem in realistic time frames? In the next post we will attempt to provide some guidance to
this issue.
In this post we simulate a free air jet with increasing mesh resolution to validate that the FDS
solution does converge to the experimental data as mesh is refined.

Jet Fan Background


Several papers have helped me begin to understand some of the issues in modeling jet fans. I am
not an expert in jet fans, and this is far from an exhaustive list, but it at least provides a starting
point for our discussion:
Modelling and simulation of a jet fan for controlled air flow in large enclosures, (Giesen et
al., 2011) describes both experiments and a RANS computational fluid dynamics (CFD)
simulation. The goal is to model the experiments described in this paper.
Hazim Awbis book on Ventilation of Buildings (Awbi, 2003) is one source for a
background discussion of experimental data and equations that fit the data.
Two papers, one by Joo Viegas (Viegas, 2010) and Joo Aveiro & Joo Viegas (Aveiro and
Viegas, 2010) demonstrate detailed simulation of ventilation for smoke control in
underground car parks using FDS.
The NIST verification manual for FDS includes a jet fan calculation and references
correlations with experimental data (McGrattan, et al., 2013, Section 3.4 Jet Centerline
Velocity Decay).
A typical jet fan installation in a parking facility is shown. Brochures from manufacturers, such as
the FANTECH catalog Impulse Ventilation for Car Parks, provide possible arrangements of arrays
of fans in application.

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Typical jet fan installation (Giesen et al.,


2011)

A free air jet flows into an air space where there are no solid boundaries to influence the flow
pattern. As described by Awbi (2003) the flow from a free circular jet can be divided into two
regions:

Schematic of a free circular jet (Awbi,


2003)

Potential core region is the region immediately downstream of the supply opening where
mixing of the jet fluid with the surrounding fluid is not complete. The length of the core
usually extends to 510 equivalent opening diameters. In this region the centerline velocity
is constant and equal to the supply velocity.
Axisymmetric decay region is a region dominated by a highly turbulent flow generated by
viscous shear at the edge of the shear layer. For three-dimensional jets this is usually
referred to as the fully developed flow region where the spread angle of the jet is a
constant whose value depends on the geometry of the opening. It is the predominant region
for a jet discharging from a low aspect ratio (square or circular) opening where it extends to
about 100 equivalent diameters. Centerline velocity decreases inversely with the distance
from the opening.
As described by Awbi (2003), Baturin (1972) provides the following fit to experimental data:

where: um is the centerline velocity, u0 is the supply velocity, x is distance from the supply, a is a
constant (0.076 to 0.080 for cylindrical tubes), and d0 is the supply diameter.
Another representation of jet fan experimental data is provided by Kmmel (2007) and is
described in the FDS Verification Guide (McGrattan, et al., 2013). For a square duct:

where: x0 is the length of the potential core, h is the side length of the square duct, and m is a
constant that varies between 0.12 and 0.20.
The Baturin and Kmmel equations are displayed below for a square 0.25 m duct (equivalent
diameter 0.2821 m) with an initial air velocity of 18 m/s (= 59.1 ft/s = 64.8 km/hr = 40.2
miles/hr), the outlet velocity of the jet fan in the Giesen et al., 2011 paper. The bounds of
the Kmmel equation show a significant variation in the length of the potential core region. The
Baturin correlation predicts centerline velocities that lie between the bounds of the Kmmel
predictions. When comparing the PyroSim/FDS results with the correlations, the mean values of
the Baturin and Kmmel equation parameters are used.

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Analytic free jet centerline velocities.

FDS Simulation of Free Jet


Before proceeding to simulate the parking garage experiment, we simulated a free jet using
varying mesh refinements. The model consisted of a 0.25 x 0.25 m vent with a supply velocity of
18 m/s, similar to the jet fan dimensions and performance that was tested by Giesen et al.
(2011).
Figure 4 shows the free jet model. Five meshes were used, with the boundaries of each mesh
being an X length of 2.5 m and a height and width of 1.25 m. Only a single mesh is used near the
vent, but four meshes are used away from the vent, since the diameter of the jet increases with
distance from the supply vent.

The free jet model. The total X length is 5 m.

The supply vent was square with each side length h=0.25 m
and with a supply velocity of 18 m/s. The cell size (x) was
equal in X, Y, and Z and was varied as a fraction of the vent
side dimension, as shown in the table. The number of cells in
the models ranged from 10E3 to 10E6.

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Results of FDS Free Jet Simulations


Because FDS is a Large Eddy Simulation (LES) solution, the results vary with time. All models
were run for 10 sec. The initial transient is complete by 2 sec and the primary turbulence
frequencies are sufficiently high that averaging the results from 2 to 10 sec gives a value that
represents a steady state measurement. The previous figure shows the locations of the Y=0 and
X=4 m planes on which velocity contours will be presented.
To first visualize the effect of mesh size on the solution, we present two pairs of velocity contours
on the Y=0 and X=4 m planes at 5 sec. These provide both a sense of how the mesh captures
turbulence and a measure of the size of the downstream jet. Clearly, the fine mesh shows a much
more realistic development of the shear layer, while the coarse mesh result shows minimal
turbulence.

Free jet velocity contours. The left column shows velocity on the Y = 0 plane (0<=X<=5 m). The
right column shows the contours on the X = 4 m plane. The velocity color bars bounds are 0 and
15 m/s, with values above 15 m/s drawn in red.

A comparison of the calculated centerline velocities with the analytic correlations is shown below.
Again we see that a fine mesh is required to capture the velocity decay within the 5 m of the
outlet. The fine mesh where the grid size is 1/20 of the outlet vent side provides reasonable
results.

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Calculated free jet centerline velocities.

Summary
If a sufficiently refined mesh is used, FDS can accurately simulate a free jet. If the mesh
refinement is too coarse, the solution will not capture the turbulence in the shear layer that
entrains the surrounding fluid and the predicted centerline velocity will not decay as shown be
experiment.
This is similar to the conclusion in the FDS Verification Manual, where a mesh of 1/16 the vent
side was needed to obtain an reasonably accurate solution. The FDS Verification Manual free jet
test problem has a Reynolds number of 1E5 (square duct side 0.8 m and a fluid velocity of 2 m/s).
The parameters of the free jet in this post are more challenging and were chosen to approximate a
commercial jet fan used for parking garages with a Reynolds number of 2.7E5 (square duct side
0.25 m and a fluid velocity of 18 m/s). So the duct size is significantly smaller and the fluid
velocity is significantly higher.
In the next jet fan post we will look at how well PyroSim/FDS can simulate a parking garage jet
fan and explore ways to speed the solution while still obtaining reasonable results.
Please send comments or suggestions on how to improve this post to
swenson@thunderheadeng.com.

References
Aveiro, Joo L. & Viegas, Joo C. (2010). Smoke Control in an Underground Car Park with
Impulse Ventilation, V European Conference on Computational Fluid Dynamics, ECCOMAS CFD
2010, J. C. F. Pereira and A. Sequeira (Eds), Lisbon, Portugal, 1417 June 2010.
Awbi, Hazim B., (2003). Ventilation of Buildings, Second edition, Spon Press, 2003.
Baturin, V. V., (1972). Fundamentals of Industrial Ventilation, Pergamon, Oxford.
Giesen, B.J.M. v.d., Penders, S.H.A. , Loomans, M.G.L.C., Rutten, P.G.S., & Hensen, J.L.M.
(2011). Modelling and simulation of a jet fan for controlled air flow in large enclosures,
Environmental Modelling and Software, 26(2), 191-200.
Kmmel, (2007). Technische strmungsmechanik. Technical report, B.G. Teubner, 3. Auflage,
2007. 25
McGrattan, K., McDermott, R., Weinschenk, C., Overholt, K., Hostikka, S., Floyd, J., (2013). Fire
Dynamics Simulator Technical Reference Guide, Volume 2: Verification, Sixth Edition, NIST Special
Publication 1018, National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Viegas, Joo Carlos (2010). The use of impulse ventilation for smoke control in underground car
parks, Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology, 25 (2010) 4253.

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FDS Input File


&freejet0_0125forpost.fds
&GeneratedbyPyroSimVersion2014.4.1208
&Feb16,20152:48:26PM
&HEADCHID='free_jet_0_0125_for_post'/
&TIMET_END=10.0/
&DUMPRENDER_FILE='free_jet_0_0125_for_post.ge1',DT_RESTART=2.5/
&MESHID='Meshae',IJK=200,100,100,XB=0.0,2.5,0.625,0.625,0.625,0.625/
&MESHID='Meshba',IJK=200,100,100,XB=2.5,5.0,1.25,1.11022E15,1.25,1.11022E15/
&MESHID='Meshbb',IJK=200,100,100,XB=2.5,5.0,1.25,1.11022E15,1.11022E15,1.25/
&MESHID='Meshbc',IJK=200,100,100,XB=2.5,5.0,1.11022E15,1.25,1.25,1.11022E15/
&MESHID='Meshbd',IJK=200,100,100,XB=2.5,5.0,1.11022E15,1.25,1.11022E15,1.25/
&DEVCID='Velx0_0z0_000',QUANTITY='VELOCITY',XYZ=0.0125,0.0,0.0,ORIENTATION=1.0,0.0,0
&DEVCID='Velx0_5z0_000',QUANTITY='VELOCITY',XYZ=0.5,0.0,0.0,ORIENTATION=1.0,0.0,0.0/
&DEVCID='Velx1_0z0_000',QUANTITY='VELOCITY',XYZ=1.0,0.0,0.0,ORIENTATION=1.0,0.0,0.0/
&DEVCID='Velx1_5z0_000',QUANTITY='VELOCITY',XYZ=1.5,0.0,0.0,ORIENTATION=1.0,0.0,0.0/
&DEVCID='Velx2_0z0_000',QUANTITY='VELOCITY',XYZ=2.0,0.0,0.0,ORIENTATION=1.0,0.0,0.0/
&DEVCID='Velx2_5z0_000',QUANTITY='VELOCITY',XYZ=2.5,0.0,0.0,ORIENTATION=1.0,0.0,0.0/
&DEVCID='Velx3_0z0_000',QUANTITY='VELOCITY',XYZ=3.0,0.0,0.0,ORIENTATION=1.0,0.0,0.0/
&DEVCID='Velx3_5z0_000',QUANTITY='VELOCITY',XYZ=3.5,0.0,0.0,ORIENTATION=1.0,0.0,0.0/
&DEVCID='Velx4_0z0_000',QUANTITY='VELOCITY',XYZ=4.0,0.0,0.0,ORIENTATION=1.0,0.0,0.0/
&DEVCID='Velx4_5z0_000',QUANTITY='VELOCITY',XYZ=4.5,0.0,0.0,ORIENTATION=1.0,0.0,0.0/
&DEVCID='Velx5_0z0_000',QUANTITY='VELOCITY',XYZ=5.0,0.0,0.0,ORIENTATION=1.0,0.0,0.0/
&SURFID='VentSupply',
&RGB=26,204,26,
&VEL=18.0/
&VENTSURF_ID='OPEN',XB=0.0,0.0,0.125,0.625,0.625,0.625/MeshVent:Meshae[XMIN]
&VENTSURF_ID='OPEN',XB=0.0,2.5,0.625,0.625,0.625,0.625/MeshVent:Meshae[YMAX]
&VENTSURF_ID='OPEN',XB=0.0,2.5,0.625,0.625,0.625,0.625/MeshVent:Meshae[YMIN]
&VENTSURF_ID='OPEN',XB=0.0,2.5,0.625,0.625,0.625,0.625/MeshVent:Meshae[ZMAX]
&VENTSURF_ID='OPEN',XB=0.0,2.5,0.625,0.625,0.625,0.625/MeshVent:Meshae[ZMIN]
&VENTSURF_ID='OPEN',XB=0.0,0.0,0.625,0.125,0.625,0.625/MeshVent:Meshae[XMIN]01
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&VENTSURF_ID='OPEN',XB=0.0,0.0,0.125,0.125,0.625,0.125/MeshVent:Meshae[XMIN]03
&VENTSURF_ID='OPEN',XB=5.0,5.0,1.25,1.11022E15,1.25,1.11022E15/MeshVent:Meshba
&VENTSURF_ID='OPEN',XB=2.5,2.5,0.625,1.11022E15,1.25,0.625/MeshVent:Meshba[XMI
&VENTSURF_ID='OPEN',XB=2.5,2.5,1.25,0.625,1.25,1.11022E15/MeshVent:Meshba[XMIN
&VENTSURF_ID='OPEN',XB=2.5,5.0,1.25,1.25,1.25,1.11022E15/MeshVent:Meshba[YMIN
&VENTSURF_ID='OPEN',XB=2.5,5.0,1.25,1.11022E15,1.25,1.25/MeshVent:Meshba[ZMIN
&VENTSURF_ID='OPEN',XB=5.0,5.0,1.25,1.11022E15,1.11022E15,1.25/MeshVent:Meshbb
&VENTSURF_ID='OPEN',XB=2.5,2.5,1.25,0.625,1.11022E15,1.25/MeshVent:Meshbb[XMIN
&VENTSURF_ID='OPEN',XB=2.5,2.5,0.625,1.11022E15,0.625,1.25/MeshVent:Meshbb[XMIN
&VENTSURF_ID='OPEN',XB=2.5,5.0,1.25,1.25,1.11022E15,1.25/MeshVent:Meshbb[YMIN]
&VENTSURF_ID='OPEN',XB=2.5,5.0,1.25,1.11022E15,1.25,1.25/MeshVent:Meshbb[ZMAX]
&VENTSURF_ID='OPEN',XB=5.0,5.0,1.11022E15,1.25,1.25,1.11022E15/MeshVent:Meshbc
&VENTSURF_ID='OPEN',XB=2.5,2.5,1.11022E15,0.625,1.25,0.625/MeshVent:Meshbc[XMIN
&VENTSURF_ID='OPEN',XB=2.5,2.5,0.625,1.25,1.25,1.11022E15/MeshVent:Meshbc[XMIN]
&VENTSURF_ID='OPEN',XB=2.5,5.0,1.25,1.25,1.25,1.11022E15/MeshVent:Meshbc[YMAX]
&VENTSURF_ID='OPEN',XB=2.5,5.0,1.11022E15,1.25,1.25,1.25/MeshVent:Meshbc[ZMIN]
&VENTSURF_ID='OPEN',XB=5.0,5.0,1.11022E15,1.25,1.11022E15,1.25/MeshVent:Meshbd
&VENTSURF_ID='OPEN',XB=2.5,2.5,1.11022E15,0.625,0.625,1.25/MeshVent:Meshbd[XMIN]
&VENTSURF_ID='OPEN',XB=2.5,2.5,0.625,1.25,1.11022E15,1.25/MeshVent:Meshbd[XMIN]
&VENTSURF_ID='OPEN',XB=2.5,5.0,1.25,1.25,1.11022E15,1.25/MeshVent:Meshbd[YMAX]
&VENTSURF_ID='OPEN',XB=2.5,5.0,1.11022E15,1.25,1.25,1.25/MeshVent:Meshbd[ZMAX]
&VENTSURF_ID='VentSupply',XB=0.0,0.0,0.125,0.125,0.125,0.125/Vent
&ISOFQUANTITY='VELOCITY',VALUE=1.0,2.0,5.0,10.0,15.0/
&SLCFQUANTITY='VELOCITY',VECTOR=.TRUE.,PBX=0.25/
&SLCFQUANTITY='VELOCITY',VECTOR=.TRUE.,PBX=0.5/
&SLCFQUANTITY='VELOCITY',VECTOR=.TRUE.,PBX=1.0/

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&SLCFQUANTITY='VELOCITY',VECTOR=.TRUE.,PBX=1.5/
&SLCFQUANTITY='VELOCITY',VECTOR=.TRUE.,PBX=2.0/
&SLCFQUANTITY='VELOCITY',VECTOR=.TRUE.,PBX=3.0/
&SLCFQUANTITY='VELOCITY',VECTOR=.TRUE.,PBX=4.0/
&SLCFQUANTITY='VELOCITY',VECTOR=.TRUE.,PBX=5.0/
&SLCFQUANTITY='VELOCITY',VECTOR=.TRUE.,PBY=0.0/
&SLCFQUANTITY='VELOCITY',VECTOR=.TRUE.,PBZ=0.0/
&DEVCID='[Species:AIR]MassFluxX=1.0_AREAINTEGRAL',QUANTITY='MASSFLUXX',SPEC_ID='A
&DEVCID='[Species:AIR]MassFluxX=2.0_AREAINTEGRAL',QUANTITY='MASSFLUXX',SPEC_ID='A
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&DEVCID='[Species:AIR]MassFluxX=4.0_AREAINTEGRAL',QUANTITY='MASSFLUXX',SPEC_ID='A
&DEVCID='[Species:AIR]MassFluxX=5.0_AREAINTEGRAL',QUANTITY='MASSFLUXX',SPEC_ID='A
&TAIL/

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