Behaviours of near two-dimensional ventilation configurations

Performances of eight configurations of a ventilated room are predicted. The flows exhibit increasingly three-dimensional tendencies as the proportion of wall occupied by the supply and extract vents is reduced. For all of the cases studied, short-circuiting of the air-flow is predicted. Using the concept of the air-exchange effectiveness alone, as a comparative indicator of ventilation performance, is questionable. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.