Evaluation of the convective heat transfer coefficient of the human body using the wind tunnel and thermal manikin

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the convective heat transfer rates (α c ) of each part of the human body and of the whole body when a human is in a standing or sedentary posture in an outdoor environment. A wind tunnel was used to reproduce the side wind in an outdoor environment, and a naked thermal manikin was used to control the detailed thermal characteristics of the human body. Accurate radiation analysis was employed to evaluate the radiation effect of the thermal manikin. The α c s of the whole body and of each part of the body increased along with the wind velocity in the standing and sedentary postures. In the standing position, the α c s of the head, feet, and hands, the terminuses of the human body, were about 20-30% higher than the average α c of the whole body. In the sedentary position, the α c s of the head, hands, and arms, the terminuses of the human body, were about 20% higher than the average α c of the whole body. The α c s in this study were lower than those obtained from the climate chamber. Meanwhile, they were similar to or slightly higher than those from the results in wind tunnels.