Numerical investigation of a novel diffuse wall ventilation: thermal comfort and cross-infection control effectiveness

A novel ventilation system is presented in this study, named diffuse wall ventilation. The system is suitable for renovation projects, where the low ceiling and visible inlet and ducts are not accepted due to space limitation and design preference. The ventilation performance is evaluated by the numerical method under different operating conditions and inlet configurations. The CFD results indicate that diffuse wall ventilation creates a stratified flow pattern that is comparable to displacement ventilation. Due to the large inlet area, the air velocity in the occupied zone is much lower than displacement ventilation. The half-wall inlet provides the best performance in preventing cross-infection between occupants. The personal exposure index εexp for the target person is up to 11.8, the values with the full-wall inlet and lamella inlet are 2.16 and 5.04, respectively. This study indicates that diffuse wall ventilation is a promising ventilation principle for office buildings with low ceiling height.