A novel implementation of wind energy in buildings based on synthetic jet concept

The flow around the baseline building is compared to the flow pattern obtained by introducing an air duct on the top of it, which is blowing a fixed air mass flow rate (the jet). The energy required to produce this jet is not considered since it is presumed to be already available from other sources (e.g. ventilation system). Different jet mass outflows are varied in order to find the optimal set to obtain a flow reattachment after the separation at the building edge. The simulation is conducted by means of validated Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) solvers based on Reynolds Average Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations. Two- and three-dimensional domains are considered and validated against experimental results. The duct is modelled in the three-dimensional CFD simulation and considered as a velocity inlet. The analysis provided the velocity profiles on different positions on the roof: a reduction in the flow separation would enable an installation of a wind turbine with a lower support and the interception of a uniform accelerated wind speed provided by the hill effect.