Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Microclimate Studies by Coupling Effects of Solar Radiation and Heat Transfer in the Aircraft Cabin

  • General and Applied Physics
  • Published:
Brazilian Journal of Physics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A comfortable, health, and safety aircraft cabin environment was highly expected by travelers. To examine the microclimate and thermal comfort of a three-dimensional aircraft cabin under solar radiation and forced convection, different types of solar intensity and inflow air conditions were investigated numerically by means of incompressible Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations. A cabin cross-section has been built virtually, and detailed air flow and heat transfer were investigated. The result shows that the increase in solar radiation has a negative effect on thermal comfort because it brings fierce heating and high-temperature gradient on the cabin seat. The results also indicated that the reduction of inflow air temperature has a positive effect on the thermal comfort because the heat transfer is enhanced and the temperature on the seat is falling down. The findings of this study give further knowledge to improve the thermal comfort in the airliner cabin design and development.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

CFD:

Computational fluid dynamics

RANS:

Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations

MV :

Mixing ventilation

CCDV:

Ceiling-based cabin displacement ventilation

CDV:

Cabin displacement ventilation

FVM:

Finite volume method

TVD:

Total variation diminishing

Q :

Heat flux on body surface

T:

Temperature

p :

Pressure

M:

Air flow Mach number

References

  1. C. Zhao, S. Yu, C. Miller et al., Predicting aircraft seat comfort using an artificial neural network. Hum Factors Man. 29(2), 154–162 (2019)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. F. Golbabaei, E. Karami, M. Shahi et al., Modeling and investigating the effect of parasol installation on solar radiant temperature reduction using COMSOL Multiphysics. Int. J. Occup. Saf. Ergon. 32(5), 1–8 (2022)

    Google Scholar 

  3. J. Wang, Z.R. Xiang, J.Y. Zhi et al., Assessment method for civil aircraft cabin comfort: contributing factors, dissatisfaction indicators, and degrees of influence. Inter J Indust Ergon 81(1), 1–12 (2021)

    Google Scholar 

  4. J. Wang, J.Y. Zhi, Z.R. Xiang et al., Enhancing aircraft cabin comfort to compete with high-speed trains: a survey in China. Hum. Factors Man 31, 300–315 (2021)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Y.J. Zhang, J.H. Jia, Study on the solar radiation and heat transfer of cabin fabric using the finite volume method. FIBRES TEXT East Eur 29(2), 39–45 (2021)

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. H. Mo, M.H. Hosni, B.W. Jones, Application of particle image velocimetry for the measurements of the airflow characteristics in an aircraft cabin, in Proc. of the ASHRAE Annual Meeting 2003. (Kansas, USA, 2003), pp.101–110

  7. Z. Hu, L. Wang, H. Wang, Heat transfer based numerical investigation of aircraft cabin environment from various inlet conditions. Front Heat Mass Tran 6(1), 17–25 (2015)

    Google Scholar 

  8. T. Dehne, J. Bosbach, Transient temperature fields of turbulent mixed convection in an aircraft cabin caused by a local heat source. Stab. 2014. Göttingen, Germany 1, 1–10 (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  9. M.M. Julia, M.M. Claudia, Ceiling-based cabin displacement ventilation in an aircraft passenger cabin: analysis of thermal comfort. Build. Environ. 146(2), 29–36 (2018)

    Google Scholar 

  10. X. Duan, SChu Yu, J, CFD-based evaluation of flow and temperature characteristics of airflow in an aircraft cockpit. Comp Model Eng 130(2), 701–721 (2022)

    Google Scholar 

  11. S.K. Kushwaha, A.C. Tiwari, Evaporative cooling comfort in agricultural tractor cabin. J. Braz. Soc. Mech. Sci. Eng. 38, 965–976 (2016)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Y. Zhang, J. Jia, Numerical simulation of solar radiation and conjugate heat transfer through cabin seat textile. Autex Res J 21(4), 501–507 (2021)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. R.A. Angelova, Numerical simulation of the thermoregulation of clothed human body: skin and clothing temperatures. J. Braz. Soc. Mech. Sci. Eng. 37(1), 297–303 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Y. Zhang, J. Jia, Z. Guo, Numerical investigation of heat transfer in a garment convective cooling system. Fashion & Textiles 9(2), 1–14 (2022)

    Google Scholar 

  15. R.H. Yang, C. Liu, Y. Xue et al., Numerical analysis and comparison of airflow in rotors with U and V groove during rotor spinning process. J Eng Fiber Fabr 11(4), 29–35 (2016)

    Google Scholar 

  16. M.F. Modest, Radiative heat transfer, in Academic Press, 2nd edn. (San Diego, 2003), pp.55–73

  17. Y.J. Zhang, J.H. Jia, Heat transfer in 3-D air gap between garment and body surface. Numer Heat Tran A-Appl 79(12), 708–720 (2021)

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  18. J. Bosbach, J. Pennecot, C. Wagner et al., Experimental and numerical simulations of turbulent ventilation in aircraft cabins. Energy 31(5), 694–705 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. X.D. Cao, J.J. Liu, J.J. Pei et al., 2D-PIV measurement of aircraft cabin air distribution with a high spatial resolution. Build. Environ. 82(12), 9–19 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. M. Shehadi, M. Hosni, B. Jones, Airflow and turbulence analysis inside a wide-body aircraft cabin mockup. Indoor Built Environ 27(6), 766–785 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. C.L.S. Raposo, J.M.M. Sousa, Computational study of airflow and dispersion of airborne pathogens inside an aircraft Cabin. 33rd congress of the international council of the aeronautical sciences. Swenden 9, 1–27 (2022)

    Google Scholar 

  22. J. Bosbach, M. Kühn, M. Rütten et al., Mixed convection in a full scale aircraft cabin mock-up. Icas -international Congress of the Aeronautical Sciences, DLR, Göttingen, Germany 6, 1–9 (2006)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

This work was supported by Zhejiang Provincial Philosophy and Social Science Planning Project under Grant number 23NDJC293YB.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shangyu College, Shaoxing University, Shaoxing, Zhejiang, 312300, China

    Yijie Zhang, Lei Liu & Jiangang Wei

  2. School of Fashion Design and Engineering, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310018, China

    Yijie Zhang, Ziyi Guo & Zheng Liu

Authors
  1. Yijie Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ziyi Guo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Lei Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jiangang Wei
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Zheng Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yijie Zhang.

Ethics declarations

Competing Interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Zhang, Y., Guo, Z., Liu, L. et al. Microclimate Studies by Coupling Effects of Solar Radiation and Heat Transfer in the Aircraft Cabin. Braz J Phys 54, 47 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13538-024-01423-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13538-024-01423-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation