Abstract
The thermal environment inside a vehicle is very complex and thus difficult to evaluate. These difficulties appear due to the influence of convective, radiative and conductive heat exchange created by the external thermal loads and by the internal heating and ventilation system. Over the last century, considerable research regarding factors that influence the thermal comfort has been conducted. Achieving a thermally comfortable vehicle environment for passengers has become an issue of main importance that needs to be assessed. An optimal level of thermal comfort in a vehicle environment can be obtained only by using an automatic air conditioning and climate control system. For determining and analyzing the passengers’ thermal comfort, specific models have been developed. The most common method for evaluating the thermal comfort is the model proposed by Fanger. In his research, Fanger used the human heat balance equation to determine the optimal thermal comfort level. This paper investigates Fanger’s comfort equation parameters for the vehicle environment, in comparison with the building environment. The simulation of Fanger’s comfort equation is done with a view to describing the overall heating process inside the vehicle. By integrating Fanger’s model in the vehicle heating flow diagram for the overall heating process, the HVAC systems design can be optimized.
Keywords: thermal comfort, air temperature, Fanger equation, vehicle, environment.