Small cafe case study

This case study represents a small café space with a simple but realistic occupancy and equipment layout, suitable for evaluating indoor thermal comfort and airflow behavior. The café has a floor area of 3 m × 5 m with a ceiling height of 2.6 m, reflecting a compact commercial space commonly found in urban settings.

During operation, the space is occupied by two seated visitors and one standing worker behind the counter. These occupants contribute internal heat gains through metabolic activity, with different sensible heat outputs due to seated and standing postures. In addition to occupants, a coffee machine is present and acts as a localized heat source, introducing continuous sensible heat into the space, particularly around the service counter area.

Thermal conditioning is provided by a single indoor air-conditioning unit, responsible for supplying cool air and maintaining acceptable comfort conditions within the café. Given the limited room volume, airflow distribution plays a critical role in determining temperature uniformity, draft risk near occupants, and heat removal effectiveness around the coffee machine and worker zone.

This case study is well suited for analyzing airflow patterns, temperature distribution, and comfort levels in small commercial spaces. It highlights how even in modest-sized rooms, the interaction between occupants, equipment heat gains, and AC airflow can significantly influence perceived comfort—making it an ideal example for demonstrating HVAC design evaluation and flow & thermal simulation at a human scale.

Publications:

[1] Caesar Wiratama. Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Simulation using OpenFOAM. PT Tensor Karya Nusantara. 2025. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.24972.78728

[2] Caesar Wiratama. Comparative Analysis of HVAC Indoor Unit Placement in a Small Café Using OpenFOAM. PT Tensor Karya Nusantara. 2025. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.11551.01444

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