Field measurements of boundary-layer flows in ventilated rooms

Profiles of air velocity and turbulent kinetic energy near the surfaces of walls, ceilings, floors, and furnishings were measured under field conditions for four space layouts of an office building: a partitioned office room, a single office room, a small conference room, and a computer room. Three types of flows near the surfaces were identified based on the measured data: (1) near-stagnant flow that had mean velocities and turbulent kinetic energies of less than 0.05 ±0.025 m/s (10 ± 5 fpm) and 0.001 ± 0.001 (m/s)² (38.75 ±38.75 (fpm)²], respectively; (2) weak turbulence flow that had mean velocities and turbulent kinetic energies from 0.05 ± 0.025 to 0.25 ± 0.05 m/s (10 ± 5 to 50 ± 10 fpm) and from 0.001 ± 0.001 to 0.01 ± 0.002 (m/s)² (38.75 ± 38.75 to 387.5 ± 77.5 [fpm]²), respectively; and (3) strong turbulence flow that had velocities and turbulent kinetic energies higher than 0.25 ± 0.05 m/s (50 ± 10 fpm) and 0.01 ±0.002 (m/s)² (387.5 ± 77.5 [fpm]², respectively. The results are useful for establishing realistic airflow conditions in testing and modeling contaminant emission from building materials and indoor furnishings.