Personalized ventilation: experimental apparatus to evaluate high induction air terminal devices

The thermal environment in vehicles varies greatly. The interaction of the cabin thermalenvironment, created by the HVAC system, the outdoor conditions as well as the occupants,is rather complex.In this regard, in order to improve occupants comfort, we thought of locally differentiatingthe parameters which influence peoples satisfaction. In particular, the possibility ofcontrolling the air distribution around passengers in an autonomous and customized way hasbeen analysed.To this end a room simulating the geometrical conditions of a compartment for passengersin a railway coach has been realized. The realized experimental setup permits the evaluationof the thermofluidynamic performances of diffusers. The idea of new diffusers for restricteddimensionspaces, as is the case for railway compartments, derives from the requirement ofreducing the draught risk in the occupied zone and personalizing as much as possible the localcomfort as a function of the restricted geometry of these spaces.