CFD Analysis of an Innovative Wind Tower Design with Wind-Inducing Natural Ventilation Technique for Arid Climatic Conditions

Wind towers are passive architectural elements traditionally used to ventilate buildings in the Middle East’s hot and arid regions. Some recent design initiatives in Jordan are particularly interested in using passive systems for natural ventilation. This paper focuses on an innovative wind tower design as a passive ventilation system, which will be integrated into a train station design in Aqaba, Jordan to improve the air quality in indoor spaces and reduce the cooling loads. The design uses wind-induced effects as the motivating forces to improve natural ventilation. The study optimized the wind tower and evaluated its performance using Autodesk Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations and Grasshopper Rhino plug-ins. Airflow and distribution through the tower were analyzed using the CFD model. Grasshopper definitions were used to examine the tower efficiency in lowering the indoor air temperature. Simulations indicated the potential of the proposed wind tower to reduce the temperature by 6.164°C and supply the interior space with the required fresh air rates. This article outlines how wind towers can be used in contemporary architecture and incorporate the simulation methods to pave the way for architects to effectively validate the performance of their design proposals at the early design stage.