Analysis of thermal comfort in aircraft cockpit based on the modified PMV index

Abstract

To measure the thermal comfort of an aircraft cockpit with narrow space and high solar radiation for the pilot in the sky, the predicted mean vote (PMV) index has been studied in this paper. By increasing the effect of solar radiation in the human heat balance equation, an improved evaluation index PMV_F (PMV for Fighter) has been suggested in this paper. Meanwhile, numerical simulations as to an aircraft cockpit's flow field and temperature field have been taken by Reynolds average Navier-Stokes (RANS) method. The numerical simulation results are in a good agreement with the experimental data. The results of the PMV_F fit well with the status of pilot's thermal comfort. It shows that the method of numerical simulation based on the new evaluation index PMV_F can be used to analyze the thermal comfort in aircraft cockpit.