Design, development and validation of a water-table apparatus for natural ventilation studies.
In today's world, people spend most of their time in indoor environments. The success of a building depends on the perception of the occupant in the indoor environment. The quality of indoor environment in a building space also impacts the comfort and wellbeing of occupants. All buildings need a provision of fresh air at all times to maintain adequate indoor air quality. In case of naturally ventilated buildings, the fresh air is made to come in and leave on its own with strategically designed openings. Natural ventilation not only improves the indoor environment but also saves energy. In this context, the water-table apparatus serves as a tool to assess the airflow in buildings due to wind flows. It is a cost effective and relatively easier method to observe flows in/around buildings. The flow patterns generated in a water-table can be used to evaluate and compare different design alternatives in quick time. This DRP deals with the development of a water-table apparatus for observing flow patterns. A methodology for quantifying the flow patterns will be developed and validated for conducting natural ventilation studies.
