Numerical modeling of particle deposition in the environmental control systems of commercial airliners on ground

Abstract

The environmental control system (ECS) of a commercial airplane supplies air to the cabin in order to maintain a safe, comfortable, and healthy environment for passengers and crew members. Because about half of the air supplied to the cabin is outside air, atmosphere particles could deposit in the ECS before entering the cabin. This investigation developed a model to calculate the particle deposition rates in the ECS for different particle sizes on the basis of a set of empirical equations from the literature. The model was used to predict particle deposition in five types of commercial airplanes (a regional jet, Boeing 737-800, Airbus 319, Airbus 320, and MD-82). The predicted results were compared with data measured in-flight or during operation on the ground and agreed well with the measured data. Both the simulated and measured results showed that almost all the large particles (dp ≥ 5.0 μm) and 75% of small particles (dp = 0.3–5.0 μm) were deposited in the ECS. Most of the particle deposition occurred near the entrance to the ECS where the geometry was the most complex.