Abstract
Keywords Air quality, photocatalysis technology, cabin pollution, comfort, filtration
Abstract Different feelings contribute to the overall perception of comfort provided by the air conditioning in the automotive field.
Along with thermal and aerodynamic [temperature, air velocity] and acoustic [vibrations and noise] criteria, air quality [pollution and odours] is becoming a key item for passengers well-being in the car cabin.
Equipment rate for air treatment solutions in vehicles is increasing regularly, compared to the public sensitivity to atmospheric pollution and its influence on health.
The current solutions like particle filters and combined filters are efficient against some kinds of pollutants but their performance over time is not permanent and their real behavior in field test conditions are not well known.
That is why the first step of this paper is to measure the air quality level, and more specifically the BTEX gases in real cabin conditions. From this state of the art, the design of the photocatalysis system for automotive applications is optimized according to the pollutants to be treated. This product development is based first on a basic simulation tool of the photocatalysis process and then on test bench results realized with procedures similar to road conditions.