Coupled heat and mass transfer through hygroscopic porous materials - Application to clothing layers

Abstract

A comprehensive numerical model developed for the coupled transport of energy and mass through porous hygroscopic materials was integrated with an existing human thermal physiology model to provide appropriate boundary conditions for the clothing model. The human thermal control model provides skin temperature, core temperature, skin heat flux, and water vapor flux, along with liquid water accumulation at the skin surface. The integrated model couples the dynamic behavior of the clothing system to the human physiology of heat regulation. This model provided the opportunity to systematically examine a number of clothing parameters, which are usually not included in steady-state thermal physiology studies, and to evaluate their potential importance under various conditions of human work rates and environmental conditions.