Prediction of Solid Deposition in Building Drainage System by Computational Fluid Dynamics

The clogging of drainage pipework is a common problem in building drainage systems even they were designed according to the relevant prescriptive requirements and design guides. It causes not only the overflowing of soiled water from water closets, but also flooding from floor drains, which results in risk of slipping, damage to property, and an unpleasant and unhygienic environment. This project will develop the CFD sub-models tracking the free-surface of water and modeling of turbulent poly-dispersed flow. They will be implemented into an existing CFD package for simulating the behaviors and interactions between air, water and solid flowing inside the building drainage system. It is expected that the CFD results will allow the easy identification of potential clogging locations in the drainage system. The product ofthis research (i.e. the CFD model for building drainage system) will be applied to diagnose the typical drainage system ofthe 'Harmony-One' block ofthe estates owned by the Housing Department.