Human thermal comfort and heat removal efficiency for ventilation variants in passenger cars

Abstract

The realization of a comfortable thermal environment with low energy consumption and improved ventilation in a car has become the aim of manufacturers in recent decades. Novel ventilation concepts with more flexible cabin usage and layouts are appealing owing to their potential for improving passenger comfort and driving power. In this study, three variant ventilation concepts are investigated and their performance is compared with respect to energy efficiency and human comfort of the driver and passenger in front and a child in the rear compartment. FLUENT 16.0, a commercial three-dimensional (3D) software, are used for the simulation. A surface-to-surface radiation model is applied under transient conditions for a car parked in summer conditions with its engine in the running condition. The results for the standard Fanger's model and modified Fanger's model are analyzed, discussed, and compared for the driver, passenger, and child. The modified Fanger's model determines the thermal sensation on the basis of mean arterial pressure.