Applying computational fluid dynamics to evaluate thermal building comfort in Douala, Cameroon

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) can simultaneously predict airflow, heat transfer and contaminant transportation in and around buildings. In addition, CFD can provide important information to help design energy-efficient, comfortable, and environmentally friendly buildings. This paper demonstrates the roles of CFD in building design for third world countries, showing its typical application in designing a thermally conformable, healthy, and energy-efficient building. Douala features a tropical climate with warm, humid conditions throughout the year. Due to these climate conditions, natural ventilation has been analysed since it can be considered the main way to achieve better thermal comfort and reduce energy usage in buildings. An accurate analysis of the site plan has been made in order to improve outdoor and indoor comfort and increase energy efficiency of the buildings by making use of passive strategies, such as natural ventilation in summer. It is well known that designers must consider the interrelationship between airflow patterns and building design in order to achieve thermal comfort and avoid extreme air movements. Therefore, indoor and outdoor airflows have been modelled simultaneously in order to achieve the best natural ventilation strategy. The use of such methodology does not necessarily mean additional costs in the building’s realization and this can be considered an important aspect for developing countries. The purpose of this paper is to develop a building design methodology that supports the optimization of building design in the early stages in countries with severe climate conditions. The authors also discuss the typical areas where CFD can contribute to a successful building design, along with brief comments on the challenges of its application. Keywords: Africa, developing countries, CFD, environmental comfort, energy balance