Numerical Study of Urban Canyon Microclimate Related to Geometrical Parameters

• Main Authors: Andrea de Lieto Vollaro, Giuseppe De Simone, Roberto Romagnoli, Andrea Vallati, Simone Botillo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2014-11-01
• Series: Sustainability
• Subjects: urban canyon; computational fluid dynamics (CFD); solar radiation
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/6/11/7894

In this study a microclimate analysis on a particular urban configuration: the—street canyon—has been carried out. The analysis, conducted by performing numerical simulations using the finite volumes commercial code ANSYS-Fluent, shows the flow field in an urban environment, taking into account three different aspect ratios (H/W). This analysis can be helpful in the study on urban microclimate and on the heat exchanges with the buildings. Fluid-dynamic fields on vertical planes within the canyon, have been evaluated. The results show the importance of the geometrical configuration, in relation to the ratio between the height (H) of the buildings and the width (W) of the road. This is a very important subject from the point of view of “Smart Cities”, considering the urban canyon as a subsystem of a larger one (the city), which is affected by climate changes.