Numerical investigation on thermal performance and correlations of double skin façade with buoyancy-driven airflow

This paper briefly reviews the primary parameters for a double skin façade (DSF) design. The research presents an integrated and iterative modeling process for analyzing the thermal performance of DSF cavities with buoyancy-driven airflow by using a building energy simulation program (BESP) along with a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) package. A typical DSF cavity model has been established and simulated. The model and the modeling process have been calibrated and validated against the experimental data. The validated model was used to develop correlations that can be implemented in a BESP, allowing users to take advantage of the accuracy gained from CFD simulations without the required computation time. Correlations were developed for airflow rate through cavity, average and peak cavity air temperature, cavity air pressure, and interior convection coefficient. The correlations are valuable for “back of the envelope” calculation and for examining accuracy of zonal-model-based energy and airflow simulation programs.