CFD analysis of convective heat transfer coefficients on the exterior surfaces of a cubic building

The forced convective heat transfer at the surfaces of a cubic building in an atmospheric boundary layer is investigated with CFD. Heat transfer in the boundary layer is modelled using low-Reynolds number modelling (LRNM) and standard wall functions (SWF). SWF are found to overestimate the convective heat transfer coefficient (CHTC) significantly. Using customised wall functions (CWF) for temperature, derived from LRNM data, a good agreement with LRNM is found for the CHTC, with relatively coarse grids in the near-wall region, compared to LRNM. Furthermore, correlations of the CHTC with the wind speed are reported for the windward surface.