OpenFOAM as a tool for analyzing conjugate heat transfer in buildings. (Atena Editora)

Abstract

Global warming and more frequent heat waves, which are consequences of climate change, have driven research aimed at reducing heat gains in buildings. Since experimental evaluation of building components is often costly, computer simulations are frequently used to predict heat transfer to the indoor air of a building in greater detail and in an accessible way. This paper presents the verification and validation of three heat transfer cases representing building components and indoor air in buildings, using the free and open-source Computational Fluid Dynamics software OpenFOAM. The case studies considered include: natural convection in a square cavity with turbulent flow and surface radiative exchanges, conjugate heat transfer in a cavity with four solid walls, and conjugate heat transfer in a phase change material. The physical models are considered in two dimensions. The results obtained demonstrate that OpenFOAM is a tool capable of reproducing conjugate heat transfer phenomena in building systems with adequate accuracy, presenting overall relative errors of up to 10% compared to experimental results and numerical solutions reported in the literature. These findings position OpenFOAM as a viable and accessible option for future research in this field of study in Mexico.