Numerical Study of the Indoor Environmental Conditions of a Large Athletic Hall Using the CFD Code PHOENICS

This study investigates, experimentally and numerically, the environmental conditions prevailing in a large mechanically ventilated athletic hall, with the aid of the computational fluid dynamics code PHOENICS. The indoor space of the building was simulated in the PHOENICS environment and the model results were validated against experimental data collected during a 10-day campaign in the hall. The measurements included airflow characteristics and pollutants concentrations at different locations of the indoor space, as well as surface temperatures of the indoor materials. Having obtained good agreement between experimental and numerical results, different scenarios were applied in the model to investigate the environmental conditions prevailing in the hall under different ventilation and occupational conditions. These regard air-conditioning, heating, and cooling modes, as well as empty and full hall during an athletic event. The airflow, temperature, and CO₂ concentration fields were studied and results revealed dynamic behavior of the fields, significantly altering with the different considered cases. The airflow patterns were characterized by distinct vortices of various sizes, originating from the ceiling air inlet fans of the heating–ventilating–air conditioning system, while temperature and pollution stratification were evident, indicating ineffective performance of the ventilation system.