This study investigates windcatchers as sustainable ventilation solutions in architecture, addressing energy efficiency and reduced fossil fuel dependence. Traditional windcatchers, passive cooling devices, have been enhanced with sealed doors and windows to overcome earlier limitations. Focusing on dry climates, this research evaluates the performance of windcatchers in maintaining indoor comfort. Using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) through Comsol Multiphysics, factors like output velocity, pressure differential, and mass flow rate are assessed, with Hail City selected for testing. The study also examines the impact of inlet orientation on airflow dynamics, temperature, and humidity distribution within a building, comparing two cases: lateral inlet (Case 1) and top‐side inlet (Case 2). Results show that Case 2 achieves higher velocities, particularly at the exit, where speeds are 3.5 times greater than in Case 1. Temperature distributions vary, with Case 1 demonstrating lower exit temperatures and Case 2 exhibiting reduced inlet temperatures. Humidity rises with inlet speed in both cases, more notably in Case 1. These findings highlight the importance of inlet orientation in enhancing airflow efficiency and optimizing environmental conditions, offering valuable insights for architects and engineers aiming to integrate sustainable design elements for improved indoor comfort and energy savings.
Noaime et al. (Wed,) studied this question.