ONGOING RESEARCH ACTIVITIES
Sustainable Building
Protocol of
Measurement of On-Site Performance of Green Buildings (ASHRAE)
Field
Performance Evaluation Method for
A
Methodology for Categorizing Vernacular Architecture and Assessing Energy
Performance (Lindberg Foundation and EEF)
Heat
Transfer Mechanisms in Breathing Wall Systems (ASHRAE)
Assess and
Implementation Natural and Hybrid Ventilation Models in Whole-Building Energy
Simulations (ASHRAE)
Affordable House Project (ICAST)
Biomimicry Principles
and Implications for Building Design
Ecological
Impact of Architectural Material Usage
Green Building Designs for Boulder, Denver,
Develop an
Integrated and Intelligent Sustainable Building Design Tool with
Modeling,
Design and Optimization of Double Skin Façade Systems
Other areas of interest:
Breathing
Wall and System
Natural
Ventilation + Fire Safety
Hybrid
Vent (BIPV+DSF) (solar-powered ventilation)
Curtain
Wall Design Guides
Smart
Architectural Design Tool
Application
of Ancient Technologies (Weather-Based Design)
Environmental
Study
Inverse
Modeling Method for Indoor Pollutant Tracking (ASHRAE)
Fast
Simulation Method for Indoor and Environmental Study (ASHRAE)
Identification,
Classification and Correlation of Ultrafine Indoor
Airborne Particulate Matter with Outdoor Values (ASHRAE)
Micro-climate
Design and Optimization (
Influence
of Fire on Building Structure in High-Tech Buildings
Thermal and Energy Performance of
Task/Ambient Conditioning Systems (ASHRAE)
Other areas of interest:
Urban
Pollutant Source Identification
Nano-Particle Indoor
Transport, Fate and Health Impact
Simulation
of Dispersed Two-phase (Air + Particle) Flow in and around Buildings
Development
of Real-Time Airflow Simulators
Dispersion
and Inter-Infection of Virus from Breath and Cough
Implication
of Nano-Particle on Human Health
Indoor Environmental Challenges in
Public Ground Transportation Vehicles
Renewable Energy and Developing Countries
Biomass Technology and Risk Factor
Analysis for Rural
Energy Investigation for Large Commercial
Buildings in
Thermal Storage and Co-Generation
Technologies
Other areas of interest:
Biomass Energy Technology and Policy
Comparison between Developed and Developing Countries
Building Systems
The Correlation between HVAC System
Pressure Drop and Energy Savings (NADCA)
High Efficient but Low Cost Micro-Channel
Heat Exchanger Technologies (Industry and ASHRAE)
Low Grade Geothermal Systems for Buildings
(Department of the Interior, Division of Energy and Mineral Development)
Ventilation of Crawl-Space (Industry)
Personalized Ventilation Systems (ASHRAE)
Other areas of interest:
Buildings and Systems under Extreme
Conditions (Dust, Fire, Hurricane and Flood)
COMPLETED RESEARCH ROJECTS
Integration of Building Energy Simulation (ES) Tools with
CFD
- Sponsored by US Department of Energy (DOE) and collaborated with Laurence
Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), 2000–2002
CFD
Modeling and Optimization of Ventilation System in the Brant Motor Sports (BMS)
Enclosed NASCAR Racetrack
- Sponsored by Baker and Associates, Inc., 2000
Sustainable Housing for China: Beijing,
Shanghai, Shenzhen
- Sponsored by the Alliance for Global Sustainability and the Kann Rasmussen Foundation, 2000
Protecting Buildings from Chemical and Biological Agent Attacks – Prediction
and Control
- Collaborated with
Draper Laboratory, United Technology Research Center -Carrier, Harvard School
of Public Health, 1999–2000
Development of Intelligent Building Design
Tools
- Sponsored by National Science Foundation and ASHRAE, 1999
CFD Multi-Block Algorithm and Parallel
Computation Techniques
- Sponsored by Tsinghua Research Funding, 1997–1999
Numerical Investigation of Wing-Body Junction
Flows
- Sponsored by the National Natural Science Foundation (NSF) of China and the
National Climbing Project of China, 1997-1998
Turbulence Model Development for 3-Dimensional
Turbulent Shear Flow and Boundary Layer Problems
- Sponsored by the National Natural Science Foundation (NSF) of China and the
National Climbing Project of China, 1996–1998
Experimental and Numerical Study of the Effects
of Cross-Wind on the Performance of Natural-Draft Dry-Cooling Towers
- Sponsored by Electric Power Bureau of Northern China, the National Natural
Science Foundation (NSF) of China and the National Climbing Project of China,
1994–1999
PUBLICATIONS
Papers under Preparation and Review
1. Liu X and Zhai
Z. Prompt Tracking of Indoor Airborne Pollutant Source Location with
Probability-Based
2008 Publications
1. Zhai Z and Liu X. 2008. Principles and
Applications of Probability-Based Inverse Modeling Method for Finding Indoor
Airborne Contaminant Sources. Building
Simulation: An International Journal, 1: 64–71.
2. Liu X and Zhai Z. 2008. Location Identification for Indoor Instantaneous Point
Contaminant Source by Probability-Based Inverse CFD Modeling. Indoor Air, 18: 2–11.
3. Jae-Yoon Koh,
Hyun-Gu Lee, and John
Zhai. 2008. System Performance with Variation of
Outdoor Unit Layouts at Building Re-entrants. International Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration, Vol.
16, No. 1 (2008) 15~21.
4. Corbin CD and Zhai Z. 2008. Numerical Analysis of Performance of A
Building Integrated Photovoltaic-Thermal Collector System. COBEE2008, July 13-16,
5. Liu X and Zhai Z. 2008. An Approach to Interpreting Critical Indoor Pollution
Scenes of A
6. Zhuolun Chen, Qinglin
Meng, Lihua Zhao, Moncef Krarti, John Zhai.
2008. Experimental Investigation on Outdoor Thermal Comfort in a Residential
Community in the Hot-humid Climate of South China. COBEE2008, July 13-16,
2007 Publications
1. Liu X and Zhai Z. 2007. Inverse Modeling Methods for Indoor Airborne Pollutant
Tracking: Literature Review and Fundamentals. Indoor Air, 17: 419–438.
2. Zhang Z, Zhang W, Zhai Z, and Chen Q. 2007. Evaluation of
Various Turbulence Models in Predicting Airflow and Turbulence in Enclosed
Environments by CFD: Part-2: Comparison with Experimental Data from Literature.
HVAC&R Research, 13(6): 871-886.
3. Zhai Z, Zhang Z, Zhang W, and Chen Q.
2007. Evaluation of Various Turbulence Models in Predicting Airflow and
Turbulence in Enclosed Environments by CFD: Part-1: Summary of Prevalent
Turbulence Models. HVAC&R Research,
13(6): 853-870.
4. Liu X and Zhai Z. 2007. Identification of Appropriate CFD Models for Simulating
Aerosol Particle and Droplet Indoor Transport. Indoor and Built Environment, 16(4): 322-330.
5. Pappas A and Zhai Z. 2007. Numerical Investigation on Thermal Performance and
Correlations of Double Skin Façade with Buoyancy-Driven Airflow. Energy and Buildings,
doi:10.1016/j.enbuild.2007.04.002.
6. Chen Q, Zhai Z, Wang L. 2007. Computer Modeling of Multiscale
Fluid Flow and Heat and Mass Transfer in Engineered Spaces. Journal of Chemical Engineering Science.
62(13): 3580-3588.
7. Liu X and Zhai Z et al. 2007. Study of Penetration of Outdoor Fine Particles into
a Nonresidential Building with Multi-Zone Simulation. ASHRAE Transactions, 113(2): 163-171.
8. Liu J, Zhai Z, Pei J, Li Y. 2007. Measurement and Assessment of VOC
and Formaldehyde Contamination During Construction
Period of a New Museum in
9. Zhai Z and Liu JJ 2007. Influences of
Building Outdoor Landscaping and Indoor Layout on Natural Ventilation Design. Journal of Harbin Institute of Technology,
2007, Vol.14, Sup.: 318-321.
10.
Liu X and Zhai Z.
2007. Probability-Based
11.
Zhang Z, Zhai Z
and Chen Q. 2007. Evaluation of Various CFD Models in Predicting Room Airflow
and Turbulence. RoomVent2007, June,
12.
Fedrigo C, Manzan M and Zhai Z.
2007. Structural and Environmental Fire Safety in Atria Design. RoomVent2007,
June,
13.
Spencer J and Zhai
Z. 2007. Fast Evaluation of Sustainable Heating and Cooling Strategies for
Solar Homes with Integrated Energy and CFD Modeling. Building Simulation
2007, Sept,
14.
Liu X and Zhai Z.
2007. Probability-Based Inverse Modeling Algorithm for Indoor Pollutant Source
Tracking. Building Simulation 2007, Sept,
15. Fedrigo C, Manzan M and Zhai Z. 2007. Structural and Environmental
Fire Safety in Atria Design. Proceedings of XXV Congresso
Nazionale UIT sulla
Trasmissione del Calore (25th
UIT National Heat Transfer Conference),
16. McNeill J, Zhai Z, Tan G, Stetz M. 2007. Protocols for
Measuring and Reporting the On-site Performance of Buildings Except
Low-Rise Residential Buildings. Final
Project Report for ASHRAE, 185 pages, August.
2006 Publications
1. Zhai Z and Fu S. 2006. Improving Cooling
Efficiency of
2.
Zhai Z and Chen Q. 2006. Sensitivity Analysis and Application Guides for Integrated
Building Energy and CFD Simulation, Energy and Building, 38, 1060–1068.
3. Zhai Z.
2006. Applications of CFD in Building Design: Aspects and Trends, Indoor and Built Environment, 15(4):
305-313.
4. Jeong
K, Zhai Z, Krarti M. 2006. Experimental and Numerical
Investigation on Cooling Characteristics of Partition Air Supply System, ASHRAE Transactions, summer.
5. Liu X and Zhai Z. 2006. Identification of Appropriate CFD Models for Indoor
Particle and Droplet Simulation in Ventilated Spaces, Ventilation 2006,
6.
Jeong K, Krarti M, Zhai Z. 2006. CFD-Based Parametric Analysis on the Performance of Personalized
Partition Air Distribution Systems, ASME-Solar
2006, July,
7.
Zhai Z. 2006. Optimal Building Scales with
Low Energy Load in both Hot and Mild Climatic Regions,
ASME-Solar 2006, July,
8.
Pappas
A and Zhai Z. 2006. Energy
Simulation of a Double Skin Facade: A Process Using CFD and EnergyPlus, IBPSA-USA SimBuild 2006, August,
9. Yi C, Monson RK, Zhai Z,
10. Yi C, Monson RK. Zhai Z. etc. 2006. Advective Flows and
Canopy Turbulence Caused by Topography and Canopy Structure (poster), Flux Measurements in Difficult Conditions,
a Specialist Workshop, Boulder, Colorado, USA, 26-28 January 2006.
11. Boxer
E, Passmore K, Zhai Z. 2006. Floor-Based Task-Ambient Conditioning. Final Project Report for
ASHRAE Undergraduate Senior Project Grant Program,
43 pages, June.
12. Zhai Z and Hannigan M. 2006.
Design and Build Project for an Optimal Wood-Fired Pottery Kiln. Final
Project Report for CU Outreach Committee, 27 pages, June.
2005 Publications
1.
Yi C, Monson RK, Zhai Z, et al. 2005. Modeling
and Measuring the Nighttime Drainage Flow in a High-Elevation,
2.
Zhai Z and Chen Q. 2005. Performance
of Coupled Building Energy and CFD Simulations, Energy and Buildings,
37(4): 333-344.
3.
Zhai Z. 2005. Simulation-Based Ventilation
System Study for Chemical Laboratory, Proceedings
of Indoor Air 2005, Sept.4-9,
4. Zhai
Z. 2005. A New Building
Ventilation Effectiveness Index, Proceedings of Indoor Air 2005, Sept.4-9,
5.
Courtney A, Givler T, Abarr L, and Zhai Z. 2005. From Warehouse to
Sustainable
6.
Yi C, R K Monson, Z Zhai, D
2004 Publications
1.
Zhai Z and Chen Q. 2004. Numerical Determination
and Treatment of Convective Heat Transfer Coefficient in the Coupled Building
Energy and CFD Simulation. Building and Environment, 39, 1001-1009.
2.
Chen Q and Zhai Z. 2004. The Use of CFD Tools
for Indoor Environmental Design. Advanced
Building Simulation, pp.119-140, Edited by A. Malkawi
and G..Augenbroe,
3.
Zhai Z. 2004. Application of CFD for Design of Energy-Efficient
and Comfortable Buildings. The 5th
International Bi-Annual ASME/JSME Symposium on Computational Technology for
Fluid/Thermal/Chemical/Stressed Systems with Industrial Applications,
4. Zhai Z, Gao Y, Chen Q. 2004. Pressure Boundary
Conditions in Multi-Zone and CFD Program Coupling. The First IBPSA-USA
Conference – SimBuild, Boulder, CO.
1. Zhai Z, Srebric
J, Chen Q. 2003. Application
of CFD to Predict and Control Chemical and Biological Agent Dispersion in
Buildings. International Journal of
Ventilation, 2(3), 251-264.
2. Zhai Z and
Chen Q. 2003. Solution
Characters of Iterative Coupling between Energy Simulation and CFD Programs.
Energy and Building, 35(5), 493-505.
3. Chen Q, Zhai Z. 2003. How Realistic is CFD as a Tool for Indoor Environment
Design and Studies without Experiment? Keynote paper, Proceedings of the 4th
International Symposium on HVAC, Vol. 1, pp. 62-77, Tsinghua
University Press,
4.
Zhai Z, Chen Q. 2003. Impact of
Determination of Convective Heat Transfer on the Coupled Energy and CFD
Simulation for Buildings. Proceedings of
Building Simulation Conference 2003, Vol. 3, pp. 1467-1474,
5. Zhai Z. 2003. Developing an Integrated Building Design Tool by Coupling Building Energy Simulation and Computational Fluid Dynamics Programs. Ph.D. Dissertation. 276 pages, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
2002 Publications
1. Zhai Z, Chen Q, Haves P and Klems JH. 2002. On Approaches to Couple Energy Simulation and Computational
Fluid Dynamics Programs. Building
and Environment, 37, 857-864.
2. Zhai Z, Chen
Q, and Scanlon PW. 2002. Design of Ventilation System for An Indoor Auto Racing
Complex. ASHRAE Transactions,
108(1), 989-998.
3. Fu S
and Zhai Z.
2002. Application of Multi Block Technique in 3D Complex Turbulent Flow
with Multiply-Connected Domain. Chinese Journal of Computational Mechanics,
19(1), 20-25.
4. Zhai Z and
Fu S. 2002. Modeling the Airflow around Cooling Towers with Multi-Block CFD. The 4th International ASME/JSME/KSME
Symposium.
5. Zhai Z and
Chen Q, Scanlon PW. 2002. Venting Contaminants and Fire Smoke from an Indoor
Auto-Racing Complex. Proceedings of
Indoor Air 2002, the 9th International Conference on Indoor Air Quality and
Climate, pp. 830-835,
6. Zhai Z and
Chen Q. 2002. Developing an Integrated Design Tool: Coupling Energy Simulation
and Computational Fluid Dynamics Programs. Final
Report for
2001 Publications
1. Fu S and Zhai Z. 2001. Numerical Investigation of the Adverse Effect of Wind
on the Heat Transfer Performance of Two Natural Draft Cooling Towers in Tandem
Arrangement. ACTA MECHANICA SINICA.
2. Zhai Z, Chen
Q, Haves P and Klems JH. 2001. Strategies for
Coupling Energy Simulation Programs and Computational Fluid Dynamics Programs. Proceedings of Building Simulation
Conference 2001, Vol. 1, pp. 59-66,
2000 Publications
1. Zhai Z, Hamilton SD,
Huang JM, et al. 2000. Integration
of Indoor and Outdoor Airflow Study for Natural Ventilation Design Using CFD. Proceedings of the 21st AIVC Annual
Conference on Innovations in Ventilation Technology,
2. Chen Q,
Zhai Z. et al. 2000. Building Natural Ventilation Design
and Studies. Proceeding of Conference on
Thermal Environment of Residential Buildings,
1999 and before Publications
1. Fu S.
and Zhai Z. 1999. Numerical
Investigation of Flow around Two Natural Draft Cooling Towers in Tandem
Arrangement. Proc.8th Asian Congress of Fluid Mechanics,
2. Zhai Z, Fu
S, Zhu K. 1999. Comparison of Flow Characteristics & Improving-Techniques
in
3.
Zhai Z,
et al. 1999. Wind-Break Techniques for
4.
Zhai Z.
1999. Study of the Flow around
5. Zhai Z, Zhu K, Fu S.
1998. Experimental
Study of Effects of Cross Wind on Flow in
6. Fu S, Zhai Z, et al. 1998. Critical Assessment of Nonlinear
Eddy-Viscosity Models in a Recirculating Flow Caused
by Square Ribs. The Third International
Conference on
7. Zhai Z, Fu
S. 1997. Numerical Simulation of 3-D Flowfield over
Surface-mounted Cube. Chinese J. of
Computational Mechanics.
8. Zhai Z, Tang
G, Fu S and Zhu K. 1997. The Experiment and Numerical Study of the Influence of
Cross-Wind on the Performance of
9. Zhai Z, Zhu K, Fu S.
1997. Model Experiment
for the Influence of Cross-Wind on the Air Flow Field in
10. Fu S, Zhai Z, et al. 1997. Numerical Study of Flow Past a
Wing-Body Junction with a Realizable Nonlinear Eddy-Viscosity Model. The Eleventh Symposium on Turbulent Shear
Flows,
11. Zhai Z, Fu
S. 1996. Numerical Study of Natural Convection of Natural Draft Dry-cooling
Tower. J. of Basic Science and
Engineering.
12.
Zhai Z.
1995. Model Experiment on Wind-Break Problem of