Natural ventilation potential of high-rise residential buildings in northern China using coupling thermal and airflow simulations

Natural ventilation is regarded as one of the most energy-efficient ways of ventilating a building. Suitable methods for predicting ventilation performance are essential for regulating indoor air parameters in buildings. This study establishes a method to predict the natural ventilation potential for residential buildings. The average annual ventilation rate (N) and annual cooling load saving ratio (ACSR) for the top six types of residential buildings were measured and analyzed under different conditions. The N calculation formula was summarized to calculate the natural ventilation air change rate for each of the designated buildings. In addition, the logarithmic regression curves of the ACSR (with N) were also obtained and then used to predict the natural ventilation potential for specific climatic conditions. The simulation results could be used to guide engineers in deciding when and where natural ventilation can be incorporated as an energy-efficient feature without affecting indoor comfort. Moreover, accurate strategic analysis could also be used to assist architects evaluate the potential of natural ventilation at the architectural pre-design stage.