Case Study: Hatch Mott McDonald achieves cost-effective ventilation improvements at Grand Central Terminal with ANSYS CFX

CFX Simulation Improves Ventilation at Grand Central Terminal

MacDonald was hired to assess ventilation in Grand Central Terminal’s 2.5 million ft² trainshed, which suffers summertime ground-level temperatures roughly 15°F above ambient and has very limited outside-air access through small sidewalk grilles and shafts. To avoid repeating costly, ineffective past changes, MacDonald selected ANSYS CFX as the CFD tool to conduct a preliminary study to understand the airflow and thermal drivers and guide cost‑effective improvements.

Using ANSYS CFX, MacDonald built lumped‑parameter and 3‑D CFD models (with two‑level coupling and refined grille and heat‑source detail), validated them against temperature, humidity and smoke‑flow observations, and evaluated many design iterations. The ANSYS results correlated well with measurements, enabled a cost‑benefit optimization of grille expansion versus active ventilation, and directly supported the award of a $2.3 million contract to design a new ventilation system.

MacDonald

Norman Rhodes

Vice-President