27635 Study of the flow field and uniformity of the temperature in a ventilated room
Richtingen: Master of Science in Electromechanical Engineering

Probleemstelling:

Many processes require a uniform temperature throughout a working chamber, so the temperature has to stay within a certain range that depends on the application. Ventilation is then often added to improve the homogeneity of the temperature field. However, it is not straightforward to predict the uniformity of the temperature that follows from the flow field. Therefore, fast and reliable numerical models are required to allow for design and analysis and thus to decrease the number of costly and time-consuming experimental tests.

An example of such a processes is a setter, a large chamber for breeding eggs. In these chambers, the temperature needs to be kept at a constant and uniform level. These conditions have to be maintained even though the eggs require heat input initially but start producing heat during the process. Furthermore, fresh air needs to be added at some moments, which is typically cold and dry compared to the conditions in the room. In addition, condensation needs to be avoided inside the room, even though the eggs release humidity.

Figure 1: Setter with fan and heat exchanger.


Doelstelling:

The goal of this thesis is to make a numerical model for the flow field and temperature distribution in a room with ventilation and local heat sinks/sources. Also humidity can be added to this model, to increase the fidelity. This model then needs to be compared with experimental measurements for a setter that are already available. Once this validation has been completed, the model can be used to optimize the shape of the room, the location for the inflow of fresh air or the size of the fan to improve the uniformity of the temperature field. Furthermore, it will be used to provide insight in the flow field if certain components are omitted.

In this thesis you will learn to