Evaluation of turbulence models to predict airflow and ammonia concentrations in a scale model swine building enclosure

TY - JOUR

T1 - Evaluation of turbulence models to predict airflow and ammonia concentrations in a scale model swine building enclosure

AU - Tong, Guohong

AU - Zhang, Guoqiang

AU - Christopher, David M.

AU - Bjerg, Bjarne Schmidt

AU - Ye, Zhangying

AU - Cheng, Jin

PY - 2013/1

Y1 - 2013/1

N2 - The performance of five widely used turbulence models, the standard k-ε model (SKE), the renormalization group k-ε model (RNG), the realizable k-ε model (RKE), the standard k-ω model (SKW) and the shear stress transport k-ω model (KWSST), were evaluated for simulations of airflow velocities and ammonia concentrations in a 1:12.5 scale model swine building without a floor (100% floor opening) and with a slatted floor with 16.7% floor opening area. The 100% floor opening case was used as a reference. The turbulence models were evaluated by comparing the numerical results with experimental data at representative points inside the scale model. The RKE and RNG models required less elements for grid-independent results with the predicted airflow patterns agreeing well with the smoke tests. The velocities and concentrations predicted by the RNG model were closer to the measured values with a maximum velocity difference of less than 0.03ms-1 (9.3%) and a maximum normalized concentration difference of less than 0.09 (12.3%) for the 100% floor opening. For the 16.7% floor opening, the maximum velocity difference in the main space was less than 0.02ms-1 (6.8%) and the maximum normalized concentration difference was less than 0.2 (25%). Thus, the RNG model most accurately predicts the airflow velocities and ammonia concentrations in the scale model swine building enclosure.

AB - The performance of five widely used turbulence models, the standard k-ε model (SKE), the renormalization group k-ε model (RNG), the realizable k-ε model (RKE), the standard k-ω model (SKW) and the shear stress transport k-ω model (KWSST), were evaluated for simulations of airflow velocities and ammonia concentrations in a 1:12.5 scale model swine building without a floor (100% floor opening) and with a slatted floor with 16.7% floor opening area. The 100% floor opening case was used as a reference. The turbulence models were evaluated by comparing the numerical results with experimental data at representative points inside the scale model. The RKE and RNG models required less elements for grid-independent results with the predicted airflow patterns agreeing well with the smoke tests. The velocities and concentrations predicted by the RNG model were closer to the measured values with a maximum velocity difference of less than 0.03ms-1 (9.3%) and a maximum normalized concentration difference of less than 0.09 (12.3%) for the 100% floor opening. For the 16.7% floor opening, the maximum velocity difference in the main space was less than 0.02ms-1 (6.8%) and the maximum normalized concentration difference was less than 0.2 (25%). Thus, the RNG model most accurately predicts the airflow velocities and ammonia concentrations in the scale model swine building enclosure.

U2 - 10.1016/j.compfluid.2012.10.020

DO - 10.1016/j.compfluid.2012.10.020

M3 - Journal article

SN - 0045-7930

VL - 71

SP - 240

EP - 249

JO - Computers & Fluids

JF - Computers & Fluids

ER -