Assessment of Low-Reynolds Number k-ε Models in Prediction of a Transitional Flow with Coanda Effect

Precise prediction of ventilation flow is essential to create a comfortable, economical, and healthy indoor environment. In the past three decades, the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method has been used more often, and it is now one of the primary methods for studying building ventilation. The most common CFD method is RANS simulation because of the low cost of computational resources and good accuracy. This paper presents a numerical investigation of a transitional ventilation flow with the Coanda effect, which makes the initial free jet transform into a wall jet. Six low-Reynolds number k-ε models proposed by Abid (AB), Lam and Bremhorst (LB), Launder and Sharma (LS), Yang and Shih (YS), Abe Kondoh and Nagano (AKN), and Chang, Hsieh and Chen (CHC) are applied. The performance of the six models is evaluated by comparing the computational results with the PIV measurements of Van Hooff et al. The predictions revealed that the LS model has a good approximation of velocity profiles because of its two extra terms in k and ε equations, and the AB model is in good agreement with experimental results for predicting the Coanda effect. The LB model provides the worst agreement with experimental data on account of the wrong prediction of turbulent kinetic energy and dissipation rate.