thermal manikin

The use of open-source CFD has been growing in both industry and academia. Open-source CFD saves users a considerable license cost and provides users with full transparency of implementation and maximum freedom of customization. However, it is often necessary to assess the performance of an open-source code before applying it to the practical use. This study applies one of the most popular open-source CFD codes – OpenFOAM to the indoor airflow and heat transfer prediction. The performance of OpenFOAM is evaluated and validated against a well-documented benchmark test.

The sari is everyday attire for most women throughout the year all across South-Asia. It is a versatile ensemble because, a single set of garments can provide different levels of insulation just by changing the drape.

The convective heat transfer coefficient around the human body is important for evaluating the effects that airflows exert on thermal comfort. However measuring it is generally difficult. Therefore, in this research, a thermal manikin was set up inside a wind tunnel simulating a ventilation environment. This was used to measure the convective heat transfer coefficient around the human body and the relationship between the effects of airflows and the thermal resistance of clothing under various clothing conditions.

Wall-mounted air conditioning systems including window-type and split-type air conditioners are widely used in Asian countries. However, these systems blow cold air directly into the working space perpendicular to the mounted wall and may make people affected by these air conditioners experience discomforts such as draught and uneven temperature distribution. Now a wall-mounted air conditioning system is expected to effectively implement the displacement ventilation system for space cooling and cold draught avoiding.

The rising stream around a human body attributable to metabolic heat can carry contaminants from the floor level to the human breathing system. Thus, the quality of the breathing air greatly depends on the concentration distribution in the lower part of the room and the characteristics of the local air motion around the body. In this paper, a modeled human body (computational thermal manikin) is placed in a room that is air-conditioned with a displacement ventilation system.