Effectiveness of a Novel Vent-And-Slide Window for Short-Term Single-Sided Ventilation: A Study Based on Measurements and Detailed CFD Simulations

Abstract

Natural ventilation is regarded as one of the methods for maintain-ing fresh air indoors, in addition to having a significant impact on the overall performance of a building. However, pertinent data about details how processes and impacts of natural ventilation for different window technologies and oper-ation schemes is something still missing in a comprehensive fashion. Toward this end this contribution presents results of a study focusing on a novel vent-and-slide window. Thereby, the ventilation effectiveness of the ventilation posi-tion/state of this window is examined both empirically via measurements (results of tracer gas measurements) and simulation (corresponding computational-fluid-dynamics/CFD simulations) for single-sided ventilation. Monitoring efforts in a test building in Lower Austria formed the foundation for evaluating CFD mod-els in a well-used CFD-simulation-instrument, OpenFOAM. The study assesses the accuracy of simulated air exchange using data collected from short-duration single-sided ventilation in a test room during the summer and winter seasons in 2024/2025. Building on this knowledge, a virtual test room was generated and utilized to analyse air movement, air exchange, and the resulting thermal comfort in detail. Additionally, the study thoroughly examines the placement of air quality sensors, considering automated window ventilation.