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Journals / Gazi University Journal of Science Part B: Art Humanities Design and Planning / 2026 / Cilt: 14 Sayı: 1

Natural Ventilation and Passive Cooling in Architectural Design: A Systematic Review of CFD Studies Using ANSYS Fluent

Mimari Tasarımda Doğal Havalandırma ve Pasif Soğutma: ANSYS Fluent Kullanan CFD Çalışmalarının Sistematik İncelemesi

Fulya Gökşen(KAHRAMANMARAS SUTCU IMAM UNIVERSITY, FACULTY OF ENGINEERING-ARCHITECTURE)0000-0002-9754-0956
Pages
137–156
Publication Date
2026-03-31
DOI
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

In conclusion, this research highlights the contributions of existing studies to architectural design by defining the role and limitations of Fluent-based CFD analyses in natural ventilation design.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:Passive design and natural ventilation strategies play an important role in reducing energy consumption and ensuring thermal comfort in buildings.
📊
Key Findings & Data:The success of these strategies depends on the accurate analysis of climate data and its comprehensive integration into the design process.
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Conclusion & Impact:In conclusion, this research highlights the contributions of existing studies to architectural design by defining the role and limitations of Fluent-based CFD analyses in natural ventilation design.
🔬Design:Review & Systematic Survey
📍Scope:2020 Verileri
⚙️Variables:Doğal Havalandırma · Pasif Soğutma · Hesaplamalı Akışkanlar Dinamiği (CFD)

Abstract

Passive design and natural ventilation strategies play an important role in reducing energy consumption and ensuring thermal comfort in buildings. The success of these strategies depends on the accurate analysis of climate data and its comprehensive integration into the design process. In this context, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations are used to optimize complex aerodynamic and thermodynamic processes from the preliminary design stage onwards. Among these software, ANSYS Fluent stands out for its reliability and widespread use in academic literature. Existing review studies in the literature generally examine passive design strategies independently of analysis tools or consider multiple CFD software in a general framework. This study focuses only on research conducted using ANSYS Fluent. In this context, natural ventilation and passive cooling studies published in ANSYS Fluent between 2020 and 2025 were systematically compiled at the architectural scale. The purpose of this study is to reveal ventilation strategies across different building typologies, describe the CFD approaches applied, determine performance indicators, and systematically classify the resulting design outputs. Within the scope of the research, 23 international peer-reviewed articles selected from the Web of Science and Scopus databases were analyzed using a table prepared with parameters such as building typology, climate data, boundary conditions, and architectural design outputs. In conclusion, this research highlights the contributions of existing studies to architectural design by defining the role and limitations of Fluent-based CFD analyses in natural ventilation design. The findings indicate that these simulations provide a parametric, multi-scale decision-support framework for developing context-sensitive passive design strategies.

Özet

Pasif tasarım ve doğal havalandırma stratejileri, binalarda enerji tüketimini azaltmak ve ısıl konforu sağlamak açısından önemli bir rol oynamaktadır. Bu stratejilerin başarısı, iklimsel verilerin doğru analiz edilmesine ve tasarım sürecine bütüncül biçimde entegre edilmesine bağlıdır. Bu kapsamda ön tasarım aşamasından itibaren karmaşık aerodinamik ve termodinamik süreçlerin optimize edilmesi için Hesaplamalı Akışkanlar Dinamiği (CFD) simülasyonlarına başvurulmaktadır. Bu yazılımlar arasında ANSYS Fluent, akademik literatürde güvenilirliği ve yaygın kullanımıyla öne çıkmaktadır. Literatürdeki mevcut derleme çalışmaları genellikle pasif tasarım stratejilerini analiz araçlarından bağımsız incelemekte veya birden fazla CFD yazılımını genel bir çerçevede ele almaktadır. Bu çalışma ise yalnızca ANSYS Fluent kullanılarak gerçekleştirilen araştırmalara odaklanmaktadır. Bu doğrultuda, 2020–2025 yılları arasında yayımlanmış, ANSYS Fluent tabanlı doğal havalandırma ve pasif soğutma araştırmalarını mimari ölçekte sistematik bir derleme yöntemiyle incelenmiştir. Çalışmanın amacı; farklı bina tipolojilerindeki havalandırma stratejilerini ortaya koymak, uygulanan CFD yaklaşımlarını tanımlamak, performans göstergelerini belirlemek ve elde edilen tasarım çıktılarını sınıflandırmaktır. Araştırma kapsamında, Web of Science ve Scopus veri tabanlarından seçilen 23 uluslararası hakemli makale; bina tipolojisi, iklim verisi, sınır koşulları ve mimari tasarım çıktıları gibi parametrelerden oluşan bir tablo hazırlanarak analiz edilmiştir. Sonuç olarak bu araştırma, doğal havalandırma tasarımında Fluent tabanlı CFD analizlerinin rolünü ve sınırlarını tanımlayarak mevcut çalışmaların mimari tasarıma katkılarını görünür kılmaktadır. Bulgular, bu simülasyonların bağlama duyarlı pasif tasarım stratejileri geliştirmek için parametrik ve çok ölçekli bir karar destek çerçevesi sunduğunu göstermektedir.

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Cite This Article

Gökşen, F. (2026). Natural Ventilation and Passive Cooling in Architectural Design: A Systematic Review of CFD Studies Using ANSYS Fluent. Gazi University Journal of Science Part B: Art Humanities Design and Planning, Cilt: 14 Sayı: 1, 137–156. https://ajindex.com/articles/1486764

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