Novel air distribution systems for commercial aircraft cabins

Air distribution systems in commercial aircraft cabins are important for providing a healthy and comfortable environment for passengers and crew. The mixing air distribution systems used in existing aircraft cabins create a uniform air temperature distribution and dilute contaminants in the cabins. The mixing air distribution systems could spread infectious airborne diseases. To improve the air distribution system design for aircraft cabins, this investigation proposed an under-floor displacement air distribution system and a personalized air distribution system. This study first validated a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) program with the experimental data of airflow, air temperature, and tracer-gas concentration from an environmental chamber. Then the validated CFD program was used to calculate the distributions of the air velocity, air temperature, and CO₂ concentration in a section of Boeing 767 aircraft cabin with the mixing, under-floor displacement, and personalized air distribution systems, respectively. By comparing the air and contaminant distributions in the cabin, this study concluded that the personalized air distribution system provided the best air quality without draft risk.     

Experimental studies of thermal environment and contaminant transport in a commercial aircraft cabin with gaspers on

Gaspers installed in commercial airliner cabins are used to improve passengers' thermal comfort. To understand the impact of gasper airflow on the air quality in a cabin, this investigation measured the distributions of air velocity, air temperature, and gaseous contaminant concentration in five rows of the economy‐class section of an MD‐82 commercial aircraft. The gaseous contaminant was simulated using SF₆ as a tracer gas with the source located at the mouth of a seated manikin close to the aisle. Two‐fifths of the gaspers next to the aisle were turned on in the cabin, and each of them supplied air at a flow rate of 0.66 l/s. The airflow rate in the economy‐class cabin was controlled at 10 l/s per passenger. Data obtained in a previous study of the cabin with all gaspers turned off were used for comparison. The results show that the jets from the gaspers had a substantial impact on the air velocity and contaminant transport in the cabin. The air velocity in the cabin was higher, and the air temperature slightly more uniform, when the gaspers were on than when they were off, but turning on the gaspers may not have improved the air quality.     

Mitigation of cross-contamination in an aircraft cabin via localized exhaust

Most aircraft cabin ventilation designs currently use a 50% mix of fresh and recirculated, filtered air and supply approximately 8–10 l/s per person. In order to make the most efficient use of the air supply at hand, the 50% of cabin air that is exhausted from the aircraft should remove with it as much contaminant from within the cabin as possible. This will thereby reduce cross-contamination among passengers and improve overall air quality. This study examines the use of localized suction orifices near and around the source occupant to unobtrusively ingest the individual’s thermal plume and exhaust it from the aircraft cabin before contaminants entrained in the plume can significantly mix with the bulk airflow. Through the use of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), various suction seat designs have been tested for their contaminant removal effectiveness and subsequent cross-contamination reduction. CFD results indicate significant improvements over conventional mixing air ventilation systems with a 40–50% decrease in passenger exposure predicted in a conventional coach-class seating arrangement.     

Comparison of different decontaminant delivery methods for sterilizing unoccupied commercial airliner cabins

Effective decontamination is crucial if an airliner cabin is contaminated by biological contaminants, such as infectious disease viruses or intentionally released biological agents. This study used computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method as a tool and vaporized hydrogen peroxide (VHP) as an exemplary decontaminant and Geobacillus stearothermophilus spores as a simulant contaminant to investigate three VHP delivery methods for sterilizing two different airliner cabins. The CFD first determined the airflow and the transient distributions of the contaminant and decontaminant in cabins. Auxiliary equations were implemented into the CFD model for evaluating efficacy of the sterilization process. The improved CFD model was validated by the measured airflow and simulated contaminant distributions obtained from a cabin mockup and the measured efficacy data from the literature. The three decontaminant delivery methods were (1) to supply the mixed VHP and air through the environmental control system of a cabin, (2) to send mixed VHP and air through a front door and to extract them from a back door of a cabin, and (3) to send directly VHP to a cabin and enhance the mixing with air in the cabin by fans. The two air cabins studied were a single-aisle and a twin-aisle airliner one. The results show that the second decontaminant delivery method (displacement method) was the best because the VHP distributions in the cabins were most uniform, the sterilization time was moderate, and the corrosion risk was low. The method displaced the existing air by the air/disinfectant solution, rather than dispersive mixing as the other two methods.     

Modeling dynamic responses of aircraft environmental control systems by coupling with cabin thermal environment simulations

Commercial aircraft use environmental control systems (ECSs) to control the thermal environment in cabins and thus ensure passengers’ safety, health, and comfort. This study investigated the interaction between ECS operation and cabin thermal environment. Simplified models were developed for the thermodynamic processes of the key ECS components in a commercial software program, ANSYS Simplorer. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) program, ANSYS Fluent, was employed to simulate the thermal environment in a cabin. Through the coupling of Simplorer and Fluent, a PID control method was applied to the aircraft ECS in Simplorer to achieve dynamic control of the temperature of the supply air to the cabin, which was used as a Fluent input. The calculated supply air temperature agreed with the corresponding experimental data obtained from an MD-82 aircraft on the ground. The coupled model was then used to simulate a complete flight for the purpose of studying the interaction between ECS operation and the cabin thermal environment. The results show that the PID controller in the ECS can maintain the cabin air temperature within ±0.6 K of the set point, with an acceptable air temperature distribution. The coupled models can be used for the design and analysis of the ECS and cabin thermal environment for commercial airplanes.     

Modelling the effect of an occupant on displacement ventilation with computational fluid dynamics

Displacement ventilation of a room with an occupant is modelled using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and compared against experimental data. The geometry of the experimental manikin is accurately represented in the CFD model to minimise potential errors from using a simplified form. Modelling thermal radiation from the manikin is found to be important and calculations using a radiation model show good agreement with experimental data. The influence of turbulence modelling is considered and a comparative study is made between an unsteady Reynolds-averaged approach (URANS) and detached-eddy simulation (DES). The results show that the URANS and DES give similar predictions with the DES results in slightly better agreement with the experimental data. The realistic manikin geometry is required to give accurate heat transfer and contaminant exposure predictions; such geometries can be handled with relative ease using current grid generation tools and CFD solvers.     

Detailing the effects of geometry approximation and grid simplification on the capability of a CFD model to address the benchmark test case for flow around a computer simulated person

This paper details the use of a simplified CFD model to predict the flow patterns around a computer simulated person in a displacement ventilated room. The use of CFD is a valuable tool for indoor airflow analysis and the level of complexity of the model being investigated is often critical to the accuracy of predictions. The closer the computational geometry is to the real geometry of interest, the more accurate the corresponding results are expected to be. High complexity meshes enable elaborated geometries to be resolved. The drawback is, however, their increased computational cost. The Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) model (Version 5) enabled to investigate the effects of geometry and computational grid simplification on the accuracy of numerical predictions. The FDS model is based on a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system and all solid obstructions are forced to conform to the underlying numerical grid which is a potential limitation when dealing with complex geometries such as those of a human body. Nevertheless, the developed computational model was based exclusively on a three-dimensional rectangular geometry. At the same time, in order to limit the total number of grid cells, a relatively coarser grid than those used for similar simulations was adopted in the investigation. The developed model was then assessed in terms of its capability of reproducing benchmark temperature and air velocity distributions. The extent to which numerical results depend on different simulation settings was detailed and different boundary conditions are discussed in order to provide some guidance on the parameters that resulted to affect the accuracy of the predicted results. The comparison between numerical results and measurements showed that a simplified CFD model can be used to capture the airflow characteristics of the investigated scenario with predictions showing a favourable agreement with experimental data at least in the qualitative features of the flow (the detailed investigation of the local airflow field near the occupant can not be probably conducted apart from considering the real human geometry). Significant influence of simulator geometry and of boundary conditions was found.     

Identification of contaminant sources in enclosed environments by inverse CFD modeling

In case contaminants are found in enclosed environments such as aircraft cabins or buildings, it is useful to find the contaminant sources. One method to locate contaminant sources is by inverse computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling. As the inverse CFD modeling is ill posed, this paper has proposed to solve a quasi-reversibility (QR) equation for contaminant transport. The equation improves the numerical stability by replacing the second-order diffusion term with a fourth-order stabilization term in the governing equation of contaminant transport. In addition, a numerical scheme for solving the QR equation in unstructured meshes has been developed. This paper demonstrates how to use the inverse CFD model with the QR equation and numerical scheme to identify gaseous contaminant sources in a two-dimensional aircraft cabin and in a three-dimensional office. The inverse CFD model could identify the contaminant source locations but not very accurate contaminant source strength because of the dispersive property of the QR equation. The results also show that this method works better for convection dominant flows than the flows that convection is not so important. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: This paper presents a methodology that can be used to find contaminant source locations and strengths in enclosed environments with the data of airflow and contaminants measured by sensors. The method can be a very useful tool to find where, what, and how contamination has happened. The results can be used to develop appropriate measures to protect occupants in the enclosed environments from infectious diseases or terrorist releases of chemical/biological warfare agents as well as to decontaminate the environments.     

Identification of contaminant sources in enclosed spaces by a single sensor

To protect occupants from infectious diseases or possible chemical/biological agents released by a terrorist in an enclosed space, such as an airliner cabin, it is critical to identify gaseous contaminant source locations and strengths. This paper identified the source locations and strengths by solving inverse contaminant transport with the quasi-reversibility (QR) and pseudo-reversibility (PR) methods. The QR method replaces the second-order diffusion term in the contaminant transport equation with a fourth-order stabilization term. By using the airflow pattern calculated by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and the time when the peak contaminant concentration was measured by a sensor in downstream, the QR method solves the backward probability density function (PDF) of contaminant source location. The PR method reverses the airflow calculated by CFD and solves the PDF in the same manner as the QR method. The position with the highest PDF is the location of the contaminant source. The source strength can be further determined by scaling the nominal contaminant concentration computed by CFD with the concentration measured by the sensor. By using a two-dimensional and a three-dimensional aircraft cabin as examples of enclosed spaces, the two methods can identify contaminant source locations and strengths in the cabins if the sensors are placed in the downstream location of the sources. The QR method performed slightly better than the PR method but with a longer computing time. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The paper presents a method that can be used to find a gaseous contaminant source location and determine its strength in enclosed spaces with the data of contaminant concentration measured by one sensor. The method can be a very useful tool to find where, what, and how the contamination has happened. The method is also useful for optimally placing sensors in enclosed spaces. The results can be applied to develop appropriate measures to protect occupants in enclosed environments from infectious diseases or chemical/biological warfare agents released by a terrorist.     

人体活动对医院关键科室空气污染控制的影响(1):综述

医院关键科室内应考虑人体活动引起的动态尾流对空气中污染物扩散的影响,通常假设人体静态的模拟方法并不能反映真实情况。对人体动态模拟的研究现状和特殊性及其CFD模拟方法进行了介绍,提出对医院关键科室内污染物扩散的模拟应逐渐从稳态模拟向动态模拟转变。     

CFD boundary conditions for contaminant dispersion,heat transfer and airflow simulations around human occupants in indoor environments

Indoor computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations can predict contaminant dispersion around human occupants and provide valuable information in resolving indoor air quality or homeland security problems. The accuracy of CFD simulations strongly depends on the appropriate setting of boundary conditions and numerical simulation parameters. The present study explores influence of the following three key boundary condition settings on the simulation accuracy: (1) contaminant source area size, (2) convective/radiative heat fluxes, and (3) shape/size of human simulators. For each of the boundary conditions, numerical simulations were validated with experimental data obtained in two different environmental chambers. In CFD simulations, a small release area of a contaminant point source causes locally high concentration gradients that require a very fine local grid system. This fine grid system can slow down the simulations substantially. The convergence speed of calculation is greatly increased by the source area enlargement. This method will not influence the simulation accuracy of passive point source within well-predicted airflow field. However, for active point source located within complicated airflow filed, such an enlargement should be carried out cautiously because simulation inaccuracy might be introduced. For setting thermal boundary conditions, convection to radiation heat flux ratio is critical for accurate CFD computations of temperature profiles around human simulators. The recommended convection to radiation (C:R) ratio is 30:70 for human simulators. Finally, simplified human simulators can provide accurate temperature profiles within the whole domain of interest. However, velocity and contaminant concentration simulations require further work in establishing the influence of simplifications on the simulation accuracy in the vicinity of the human simulator.     

载人航天空间站舱内通风对流换热数值研究进展

CFD模拟是研究载人航天器舱内环境控制和地面模型试验验证的有效方法,介绍了国内外载人航天器舱内通风对流换热数值模拟的研究进展,目前的相关研究涉及舱内不同通风方式的数值模拟、通风参数的优化设计仿真、人体散热对通风环境的影响分析、舱内壁面温度分布和结露控制、微重力下通风换热问题的地面模型试验及其数值模拟验证、传热传质等诸多方面。指出数值模拟模型、舱内通风空调环境评定、通风空调系统整体优化、舱内环境数字仿真演示系统等是载人航天器舱内环境数值模拟领域值得进一步研究的问题。     

An under-aisle air distribution system facilitating humidification of commercial aircraft cabins

Air environment in aircraft cabins has long been criticized especially for the dryness of the air within. Low moisture content in cabins is known to be responsible for headache, tiredness and many other non-specific symptoms. In addition, current widely used air distribution systems on airplanes dilute internally generated pollutants by promoting air mixing and thus impose risks of infectious airborne disease transmission. To boost air humidity level while simultaneously restricting air mixing, this investigation uses a validated computational fluid dynamics (CFD) program to design a new under-aisle air distribution system for wide-body aircraft cabins. The new system supplies fully outside, dry air at low momentum through a narrow channel passage along both side cabin walls to middle height of the cabin just beneath the stowage bins, while simultaneously humidified air is supplied through both perforated under aisles. By comparing with the current mixing air distribution system in terms of distribution of relative humidity, CO₂ concentration, velocity, temperature and draught risk, the new system is found being able to improve the relative humidity from the existent 10% to the new level of 20% and lessen the inhaled CO₂ concentration by 30%, without causing moisture condensation on cabin interior and inducing draught risks for passengers. The water consumption rate in air humidification is only around 0.05 kg/h per person, which should be affordable by airliners.     

Respiratory bioaerosol deposition from a cough and recovery of viable viruses on nearby seats in a cabin environment

Respiratory bioaerosol deposition in public transport cabins is critical for risk analysis and control of contact transmission. In this work, we built a two-row four-seat setup and an air duct system to simulate a cabin environment. A thermal manikin on the rear left-hand seat was taken as the infected passenger (IP) and “coughed” three times through a cough generator. The deposited viruses and droplets on nearby seats were measured by a cultivation method and microscope, respectively. The effects of seat backrest and overhead gasper jet were studied. Results showed that the number of deposited virus on the front seat was one order of magnitude higher than that on other seats which only contained droplets smaller than 10 µm in diameter. When the backrest was 15 cm higher than the cough, the deposited number of viruses was reduced to 5% of that with the backrest at the same height with the cough. The gasper jet above the IP with a velocity of 1.5 m/s can reduce the deposited viruses to 4% of that with gasper off. It indicates that both the gasper jet and backrest can work as mitigation measures to block the cough jet and protect the nearby passengers.     

CFD modelling of an industrial air diffuser—predicting velocity and temperature in the near zone

This article describes experimental and modelling results from CFD simulation of an air diffuser for industrial spaces. The main objective of this paper is to validate a manufacturer model of the diffuser. In the air diffuser, the low velocity part is placed on top of a multi-cone diffuser in order to increase airflow rates and maximize the cooling capacity of a single diffuser unit. This kind of configuration should ensure appropriate performance of industrial air diffusers, which is discussed briefly at the end of the article. The paper illustrates the importance of a simulation model jointly with the manufacturer's product model and the grid layout near the ventilation device to achieve accurate results. Parameters for diffuser modelling were adapted from literature and manufacturer's product data. Correct specification of diffuser geometry and numerical boundary conditions for CFD simulations are critical for prediction. The standard k–ε model was chosen to model turbulence because it represents the best-known model utilized and validated for air diffuser performance. CFD simulations were compared systematically with data from laboratory measurements; air velocity was measured by ultrasonic sensors. Results show that CFD simulation with a standard k–ε model accurately predicts non-isothermal airflow around the diffuser. Additionally, smoke tests revealed that the flow around the diffuser is not completely symmetrical as predicted by CFD. The cause of the observed asymmetry was not identified. This was the main reason why some simulation results deviate from the measured values.     

Experimental and numerical investigation of airflow and contaminant transport in an airliner cabin mockup

The study of airflow and contaminant transport in airliner cabins is very important for creating a comfortable and healthy environment. This paper shows the results of such a study by conducting experimental measurements and numerical simulations of airflow and contaminant transport in a section of half occupied, twin-aisle cabin mockup. The air velocity and air temperature were measured by ultrasonic and omni-directional anemometers. A gaseous contaminant was simulated by a tracer gas, sulfur hexafluoride or SF₆, and measured by a photo-acoustic multi-gas analyzer. A particulate contaminant was simulated by 0.7 μm di-ethyl-hexyl-sebacat (DEHS) particles and measured by an optical particle sizer. The numerical simulations used the Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes equations based on the RNG k–ε model to solve the air velocity, air temperature, and gas contaminant concentration; and employed a Lagrangian method to model the particle transport. The numerical results quantitatively agreed with the experimental data while some remarkable differences exist in airflow distributions. Both the experimental measurements and computer simulations were not free from errors. A complete and accurate validation for a complicated cabin environment is challenging and difficult.     

人体活动对医院关键科室空气污染控制的影响(2):背景风速为零情况下的行走模拟

取背景风速为零的房间,动态模拟分析了人体活动对室内气流分布的影响。结果表明,人体活动会对室内气流压力、速度及污染物分布产生一定程度的影响,对温度分布的影响可以忽略。认为对医院关键科室污染物控制的研究应考虑人或物移动的影响,对此类问题的CFD模拟应采用动态方法进行,为降低污染物传播应尽量减少人或物不必要的移动。     

Study on simulation methods of atrium building cooling load in hot and humid regions

In recent years, highly glazed atria are popular because of their architectural aesthetics and advantage of introducing daylight into inside. However, cooling load estimation of such atrium buildings is difficult due to complex thermal phenomena that occur in the atrium space. The study aims to find out a simplified method of estimating cooling loads through simulations for various types of atria in hot and humid regions. Atrium buildings are divided into different types. For every type of atrium buildings, both CFD and energy models are developed. A standard method versus the simplified one is proposed to simulate cooling load of atria in EnergyPlus based on different room air temperature patterns as a result from CFD simulation. It incorporates CFD results as input into non-dimensional height room air models in EnergyPlus, and the simulation results are defined as a baseline model in order to compare with the results from the simplified method for every category of atrium buildings. In order to further validate the simplified method an actual atrium office building is tested on site in a typical summer day and measured results are compared with simulation results using the simplified methods. Finally, appropriate methods of simulating different types of atrium buildings are proposed.     

Experimental and CFD study of unsteady airborne pollutant transport within an aircraft cabin mock-up

It has been documented that diseases can spread within an aircraft cabin from the sneezing, coughing or breathing of a sick passenger. To understand the spreading mechanism it is very important to quantify the airflow and droplet transmission around a sneezing/coughing incident. In this project, tracer gas experiments were carried out in a full-scale Boeing 767-300 mock-up to study the global transport process of contaminated air within the cabin. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation was also used to provide additional information for understanding the principle. A steady airflow field was simulated first and then it was compared with the experimental data. The global airflow patterns were similar to those observed experimentally. This velocity field was adopted as the initial condition for further unsteady pollutant transport simulation. Experimental and simulated results were compared and discussed to develop a relationship between concentration and airflow pattern, source location, transport direction, and ventilation rate. Finally, the overall picture of concentration evolution by both experimental and simulated approaches was discussed.     

Performance evaluation of air distribution systems in three different China railway high-speed train cabins using numerical simulation

Air distribution system is very important to indoor air quality (IAQ) in China railway high-speed (CRH) train cabin. Air distribution systems in three different CRH train cabins are simulated and evaluated in this paper by using the computational fluid dynamic (CFD) method. CFD models of CRH1, CRH2 and CRH5 train cabins are developed and validated basing on the field experiments in three train cabins. Flow field, temperature field, and airflow pattern in the three train cabins are investigated respectively by using the CFD models developed. Four improved performance indexes which can eliminate influences of geometric dimension are utilized to evaluate the air distribution systems in the cabins. The cough droplets dispersion processes inside the CRH train cabins are simulated to investigate the cough droplets removal ability. Simulation results show that good airflow pattern is very critical to guarantee the uniform distribution of flow field, temperature field and thermal comfort in the train cabin. The air distribution system employed in CRH5 train cabin is the most efficient among the three train cabins. Moreover, CRH5 train cabin has stronger cough droplets removal ability than CRH1 and CRH2 train cabins. Air distribution system in CRH5 train cabin should be adopted in the next generation CRH train cabin in the future.