Constantinos Helmis

Predicting single sided natural ventilation rates in buildings

Natural ventilation contributes significantly in reducing the cooling load of buildings and in increasing thermal comfort. Single sided natural ventilation configurations are very frequent especially in urban environments. Fifty-two single sided natural ventilation configurations have been studied experimentally and are compared with the predictions of six different network ventilation models. The heat and mass transfer characteristics of the studied cases are analysed and discussed. Finally, a new model to predict air flow rates in single sided natural ventilation configurations is proposed.

A study of the near wake structure of a wind turbine comparing measurements from laboratory and full-scale experiments

Wake flow measurements have been performed using the technique of particle image velocimetry (PIV) at stations downstream from a model wind turbine rotor, and evaluated against experimental data from two full-scale machines. Comparisons include both mean velocity and turbulent intensity cross-wake profiles at a range of tip speed ratios. The application of PIV to the study of wind turbine wakes is described in detail, including the steps required to ensure appropriate and accurate simulation of the flow field conditions. The results suggest that the PIV method is a potentially useful tool in the investigation of detailed wake flow, though significant differences are observed between wake velocity deficits at full- and model scale. These are discussed with regard to scale effect, the influence of terrain, model similarity, and the phenomenon of wake meandering and effective cross-wake smoothing.

An experimental study of the near-wake structure of a wind turbine operating over complex terrain

Abstract Wind parks are often cited in complex terrain whose features determine the wind flow over the area. Results from a field experiment, comprising in-situ and remote sensing techniques (high-resolution acoustic sounders), concerning the upwind area and the near-wake region behind a single medium-sized wind turbine are presented. The experimental site is the Samos Island Wind Park installed on top of a 390 m-high saddle. Because of the topography, wind speed acceleration and channeling effects are expected; thus, the commonly used logarithmic profile is not valid, and the choice of a representative surface roughness length z o is difficult. Interesting features of the profiles of the standard deviation of the ambient wind speed are also presented. The obtained results reveal a nonlinear interaction of the near wake with the turbine-tower shadowing, while cross-wind wake profiles indicate a potential core structure. The effect of ambient turbulence is apparent, especially at lower wind speeds, even at a distance of one rotor diameter (1 D ) behind the turbine. The wake centerline at distances greater than 1 D is often observed at heights greater than the hub-height and attributed to the wind flow characteristics over the Wind Park. Finally, evidence of rotational motion inside the wake is identified.

An integrated evaluation study of the ventilation rate, the exposure and the indoor air quality in naturally ventilated classrooms in the Mediterranean region during spring

Ventilation rates and indoor air pollutants have been extensively monitored in nine naturally ventilated primary schools of Athens, Greece during spring. The ventilation rates and pollutant levels were studied during the teaching and non-teaching periods and ventilation profiles were created for each of the schools. The median ventilation rates per school ranged between 0.7 and 8 ACH while the average ventilation rate in all schools (11.7l/s/p) was greater than the minimum recommended rates by ASHRAE for school classrooms. The average carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations per school varied between 893 and 2082ppm, while the majority of the cases were slightly above the recommended limit values. CO2 concentrations were also positively correlated to the number of students and negatively correlated to the ventilation rates. Particles of several size ranges (PM10, PM5, PM2.5, PM1, PM0.5 and UFP) were also measured and analyzed. PM10 concentrations exceeded the recommended limit values by more than 10 times for the majority of the cases. There were also many cases that the PM2.5 concentrations exceeded their limit values. PM concentrations were significantly affected by the ventilation rates and the presence of students. All of the measured particle sizes were greater during teaching than the non-teaching hours. For most of the cases the indoor to outdoor (I/O) concentrations ratios of PM10 and PM2.5 were much greater than one, indicating that the indoor environment was being mostly affected by indoor sources instead of the outdoor air. Furthermore it was found that chalk and marker boards usage significantly affect indoor pollutant concentrations. Overall, the measured levels of exposure were for most of the cases greater than the recommended guideline values due to the intense presence of indoor pollution sources, even though the ventilation rates were in general satisfactory.

PM1 and PM2.5 ionic composition and VOCs measurements in two typical apartments in Athens, Greece: investigation of smoking contribution to indoor air concentrations

During the last decades, the air quality of the city of Athens has been quite aggravated. Scientific interest has been focused on health effects caused by both outdoor and indoor air pollution. The purpose of this study was the presentation of results from air quality measurements in two similar typical Athenian apartments in the same suburban area. In addition, smoking contribution is investigated, as it is the main factor which differentiates the two apartments. The results showed that it is the outdoor environment that mainly contributes to the air quality of the non-smokers’ house. In the second apartment, PM2.5, PM1, and benzene concentrations were found significantly higher due to smoking activity. In contrast, no clear difference in particulate matter ionic composition between the two areas was observed, although in the smoker’s house, ion concentrations were found elevated. This observation amplifies the assumption that in the smoker’s apartment, significant outdoor sources’ contribution cannot be excluded.

Study of the turbulent characteristics of the near-wake field of a medium-sized wind turbine operating in high wind conditions

The near-wake turbulent structure that is downwind of a medium-sized, horizontal axis wind turbine at a distance of one rotor diameter is discussed. The experimental site is the Samos Island Wind Park comprising nine wind turbines installed on the top of a 400 m-high saddle. The analysis is based on experimental data obtained mainly under strong wind conditions by two masts erected upstream and downstream of a wind turbine. The field of wind turbulence is examined both in integral and spectral form. Consideration of the perturbation produced by the tower construction is crucial in the interpretation of results. Observations show that the turbulent field varies from the edge to the center of the wake and strongly depends on the incident wind speed. Increased turbulent levels are observed near the blade tips, with evidence of a similar trend around the hub height for all wind speeds. Decreases of wind turbulence are observed in mid frequencies inside the wake due to the reduced shear associated with the flat crosswind velocity profile. This effect seems to dominate in the variation of the integral values of the longitudinal wind component variance. The low frequency portion of wind spectra reverses behavior in high wind speeds, i.e., an increase in energy relative to background values is observed. This is probably due to the shape of the turbine characteristic power curve. Cross-wind profiles of turbulent shear stresses at the lower boundary of the wake are also discussed.