Length scale propagation along a joint inlet and thermal buoyancy driven flow

The objective of this research is the determination of length scale propagation in the average indoor cubicle environment associated with displacement ventilation. The presentation involves an extended analysis on experimental data taken in a cubicle sized room involving both a simplified ventilation technique and thermal occupant. A room of dimensions six by eight foot, similar to an office cubicle, is designed for optimal optical access while utilizing boundary conditions similar to those in a typical office environment. To simplify the flow, furniture is excluded from the setup. A heated manikin (no breathing effects) is introduced with seventeen heating zones set to the corresponding skin temperature of an average person. The combination of the ventilation and thermal buoyancy simulates the flows associated with displacement ventilation. Such a velocity database is useful both for CFD validation as well as turbulence model selection which was the initial thrust of the experiments. Research includes an analysis of three component Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) measurements along the inlet of an isothermal ventilation system as it interacts with the buoyancy affects of the standing thermal occupant. From the PIV database, two-point correlations are computed and the integral lengths extracted. The propagation of length scales in both the streamwise and crosswise directions from the square foot floor inlet to occupant standing height are presented for consideration in addition to the turbulence moments of the flow.