Indoor Thermal Comfort Impact of Windcatcher Ventilation in Tropical Climates: A Case Study in Panama via Fluid Dynamics Simulation

Abstract Different ventilation approaches are recommended to address the effects of low indoor air quality while reducing electrical consumption. One of these approaches follows the natural ventilation strategy, such as windcatchers. This results in a practical method to improve occupant health by positively influencing air quality and reducing electrical consumption for air conditioning. Due to the small temperature difference between a building’s inner and outer spaces, windcatchers prove effective even in tropical climates. Thus, this research aimed to evaluate the potential of windcatchers with local indicators, such as air velocity, pressure, and temperature, using the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) module integrated into DesignBuilder software v7. This study consists of two CFD analyses of a single-zone and single-story building in Panama City with a short semicircular windcatcher. Results showed that implementing natural ventilation combined with a windcatcher is effective during seasons with high wind velocities, as the model experienced an inlet airflow velocity of 0.67 m/s and an outlet airflow velocity of 0.43 m/s. Meanwhile, during low wind velocities, the model experimented with inlet and outlet airflow velocities of 0.26 m/s and 0.07 m/s, respectively. Therefore, incorporating a windcatcher is an effective way to reduce energy consumption and improve comfort. Future studies will focus on developing improvements in its geometry and characteristics.

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