Air flow through louvered openings: effect of louver slats on air movement inside a space

UnrestrictedExterior louvered openings can block direct sunlight and permit air flow at the same time, thus providing shading and natural ventilation. The main objectives of this research are to investigate the effect of different louver slat angles on (1) interior velocities and (2) the interior air flow characteristic, for three given exterior wind speeds. Wind tunnel testing was completed using a scaled physical model having louver slats at 0o, 15 o, 30 o and 45o angles at the inlet and outlet. The resulting velocities were measured at a horizontal plane across the model. A smoke machine was used to visualize the airflow characteristics inside the model. The results from the experiment were then compared with CFD simulations. The results show that louver angles affect the direction and volume of air flow through the window thus influencing the velocities inside the space.The accelerating trend of interior air velocities by 0, 15 and 30 degree louvers and the relatively lower velocities but more directional airflow through the 45 degree louver can affect the thermal comfort conditions in a naturally ventilated space