They are useful for establishing code compliance and for a generalized comparison of alternative products. Temperature distribution throughout the model is a byproduct of the heat flux calculation. It can be mapped in color, graphic images or read at any point indicated with the cursor. Vulnerability to condensation or frost formation would be indicated by indoor surface temperatures. For monumental scale curtain wall applications in high-wind zones there is no viable alternative.
Validity is deficient to non-existent in wind tunnel testing of scaled down architectural models.
Therefore, the fluid flow around the model does not validly represent the airflow around the actual building. As an illustration of this, consider that the flow of water around a rock would differ from the flow of molasses around the same rock. The error in equating the measured flow of air around a scale model to the flow of air around a full-scale structure may not be significant. Sensors cannot be placed at every point on the surface of a wind tunnel model. The more dense the concentration of sensors, the more they affect data.