Analysis of flow field and temperature distribution in granary under novel ventilation systems based on fractal structure

Abstract

The distribution of velocity and temperature field inside the granary can be used to evaluate ventilation quality. A well-ventilated system with uniform airflow and cooling can effectively prevent moisture accumulation. To address the issue of poor uniformity in ventilation and cooling, this research introduces two new ventilation systems: the non-fractal ventilation system and the fractal ventilation system. The fractal structure was designed based on optimized parameters obtained from rectangular elements with minimum flow resistance. Numerical simulation methods were employed to verify the effectiveness of these ventilation systems. A comparative analysis was conducted, examining the velocity field, temperature field, and velocity uniformity of the two systems. The results demonstrated that the presence of a sand packing zone helped the grain pile zone avoid most of the areas with poor ventilation. The discontinuous pores at the interface between the sand packing zone and the grain pile zone significantly increased flow resistance, effectively reducing the velocity of high-speed ventilation into the grain pile zone and decreasing the permeability of the grain pile zone towards the poorly ventilated areas of the sand pile zone. Furthermore, the fractal structure greatly enhanced ventilation intensity in areas with poor ventilation in the velocity field, while also improving the uniformity of cooling in the temperature field. This research presents an innovative solution for ventilation in room-type warehouses, offering a new option for effective and efficient ventilation.