Modeling subway air flow using CFD

Abstract

A more realistic Computational Fluid Dynamics approach has been developed to model air flow in subway tunnels and stations. This modeling incorporates the effects of multi-car trains as they arrive and depart in a network of interconnected stations at realistic speeds. It also includes thermal sources within the stations and a coupling to the street level through inlets and outlets. This new approach is validated against experimental data, and numerical simulations are carried out in realistic subway station geometries. The air flow dynamics in these stations are quantified in terms of their spatial complexity and temporal stability. The air flow dynamics correlate to the dispersion and transport of pollutants though the stations.