Parametric Study of Thermodynamics in the Mediterranean Courtyard as a Tool for the Design of Eco-Efficient Buildings
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Department of Building Construction. E.T.S. Arquitectura, University of Seville, Seville 41012, Spain
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Department of Applied Mathematics E.T.S. Arquitectura, University of Seville, Seville 41012, Spain
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Energies 2012, 5(7), 2381-2403; https://doi.org/10.3390/en5072381
Received: 19 March 2012
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Revised: 29 May 2012
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Accepted: 26 June 2012
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Published: 10 July 2012
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Efficient Building Design)
Traditionally, people in the Mediterranean region knew that the temperatures in their courtyards were cooler in summer than outside temperature. This paper provides a quantitative study on the usefulness of Mediterranean courtyards as passive energy saving systems. This work is based on the creation of a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) numerical model developed using the open source Freefem++ language. In this work, first the numerical model is tested using simplified-shape courtyards which have been previously studied both physically under controlled parameters, and mathematically through numerical simulations. We also study the most appropriate depth ratio for a courtyard, based on these simplified shapes, depending on the climate. Secondly, we apply the numerical model in a real geometry, the Monte Málaga hotel. We compare the numerical results with the monitored data of the temperature in the courtyard of the hotel. The numerical model takes into account precomputed solar radiation in the walls of the courtyard, the predominant wind and buoyancy effects.
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Keywords:
courtyard; patio; microclimate; CFD; finite elements; sustainable architecture
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MDPI and ACS Style
Rojas, J.M.; Galán-Marín, C.; Fernández-Nieto, E.D. Parametric Study of Thermodynamics in the Mediterranean Courtyard as a Tool for the Design of Eco-Efficient Buildings. Energies 2012, 5, 2381-2403. https://doi.org/10.3390/en5072381
AMA Style
Rojas JM, Galán-Marín C, Fernández-Nieto ED. Parametric Study of Thermodynamics in the Mediterranean Courtyard as a Tool for the Design of Eco-Efficient Buildings. Energies. 2012; 5(7):2381-2403. https://doi.org/10.3390/en5072381
Chicago/Turabian StyleRojas, Juan M., Carmen Galán-Marín, and Enrique D. Fernández-Nieto. 2012. "Parametric Study of Thermodynamics in the Mediterranean Courtyard as a Tool for the Design of Eco-Efficient Buildings" Energies 5, no. 7: 2381-2403. https://doi.org/10.3390/en5072381
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