CFD simulation of wind driven rain on building facade

Business Needs.

• Study the effect of rain droplets upon glass façade of buildings at various heights by determining Catch ratio.
• Determine effects of wind and wind driven rain impacts over the high-rise buildings.
• Meet safety norms as per the building design and surroundings for installing façade.
• Optimum distance of outer edge of the building for installing façades.

Challenges.

• Developing computational domain for capturing flow physics around the building envelop design.
• Selecting the worst scenario for effect on façade as varying rain drop size, wind speed , direction etc. will have different effect.
• Gathering data from metrological division at the site location and studying to calculate the average to carry out analysis for extreme conditions only.
• As the effect of wind profile and velocity will depend on surrounding construction, considering the effects of neighboring construction is also critical.

HitechDigital’s Solution.

HitechDigital team analyzed the received building CAD models along with surrounding structural models to study the wind pattern and profile and its effects on rain droplets. From the impact of Wind Driven Rain (WDR) and wind loads on building facades was simulated by predicting the surface wetting distribution accurately and results were delivered to the client for taking appropriate decisions of safe installation of facades at heights.

Approach.

• Input models received from the client were converted to mesh and generated computational domain to calculate flow physics.
• Wind velocity pattern and contour were generated considering an effect of surrounding buildings and structures to calculate its effects on the building under construction.
• Various wind loads and rain conditions were chosen from the data gathered from metrological and government divisions to apply for simulation for studying the worst case scenario across the year.
• Discrete Phase Model (DPM) was used to perform tracking of rain drops over the façade surface.
• Catch ratio was calculated as the main parameter for calculating safe distance between the building edge and façade and delivered to the client.

Benefit.

• Effects of rain and wind driven rain were calculated for the then tallest building in the geography.
• Catch ratio was calculated for safe installation of glass façades without damage to the material or building structure.
• Know the effects of wind and rain droplet at heights and any changes in designs could have been accommodated easily.

Client Speaks.

We couldn’t believe our designs were so quickly analyzed and such accurate results were delivered to us. We were overwhelmed with the design support provided by HitechDigital CFD specialists.

Result.

• Cost effective solutions for efficient façade design and dimensions.
• Complex simulation and effects of wind engineering were performed quickly reducing any delays.
• Virtual simulation delivered innovative and accurate solutions for informed and accurate decisions making.