Optimization of wind tower cooling performance : a wind tunnel study of indoor air movement and thermal comfort

Wind tunnel testing and thermal comfort simulations were conducted to explore the performance of a wind-tower in a typical, medium-density apartment building located in subtropical Sydney. The research design consisted of three phases; first, wind tunnel experiments measured pressure distributions over the surface of a four-storey apartment building model scaled at 1:100. Secondly, hourly indoor air velocities were predicted for the six warmest months in Sydney using the Typical Meteorological Year 2013. Finally, thermal comfort simulations evaluated the comfort cooling potential of the wind towers. Results indicate that, during Sydney's warm hours (≥23 °C), elevated air speeds resulting from the wind-tower improved in indoor comfort by 1725.8 degree hours (SET∗) compared to the default design relying on through-window cross ventilation under the same conditions.