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Two-dimensional numerical simulations were performed using the FLUENT code to investigate the impacts of the shape and height of building roofs on flow and pollutant dispersion inside an isolated street canyon. The numerical model was validated against wind tunnel measured data. Five different roof shapes (vaulted, trapezoidal, slanted, upward wedge-shaped, and downward wedge-shaped roofs) and three different roof heights ( = 1/6, 1/3, and 1/2, where is the roof height and H is the building height) were considered in the simulations. The numerical results revealed that the vortical flow structure and pollutant distribution within an isolated canyon depend significantly on the shape and height of building roofs. A large unique clockwise vortex is established in the canyon, and thus the pollutants accumulate in the leeward side of the canyon for the vaulted and downward wedge-shaped roofs at = 1/6, 1/3, and 1/2, the trapezoidal roof at = 1/6 and 1/3, and the slanted and upward wedge-shaped roofs at ...

A two-dimensional numerical model for evaluating the wind flow and pollutant dispersion within a street canyon was first developed using the FLUENT code, which was then validated against a wind tunnel experiment. Then, the effects of the upstream building width and upwind building arrangement on the airflow and pollutant dispersion inside an isolated street canyon were investigated numerically. The numerical results revealed that: (1) the in-canyon vortex center shifts downwards as the upstream building width increases; (2) the recirculation zone covers the entire upstream building roof for the cases when W/H = 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 (W is the upstream building width and H is the building height), whereas the flow reattaches the upstream building roof for the cases when W/H = 2.5 and 3.0; (3) when the upstream building width is shorter than the critical width WC (= 2H), an increase in the upstream building width leads to an increase in the pollution level on the leeward wall of the canyon and a decrease i...