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.     

某剧院座椅送风气流组织数值模拟研究

在座椅送风的设计过程中，某些情况下，不能为每个座椅配置一个座椅送风口。本文针对某剧院在设计过程中出现的此问题进行模拟研究。首先通过建立局部模型，对两种不同的座椅送风口布置方式的空调效果进行模拟，发现风口数量的减少并未对空调效果产生很大的影响；在此基础上根据剧院建筑及空调建立模型进行模拟，得出此剧院座椅送风口的布置可以取得良好的空调效果的结论。     

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.     

上海星美正大影城影厅空调通风设计

该影城各影厅均采用独立的全空气系统,除VIP影厅采用百叶风口送风外,其余6个影厅均采用座椅送风方式。介绍了空调系统的设计,重点讨论了影厅座椅送风、下送上回气流组织的设计。     

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.     

Displacement Ventilation - the Influence of the Characteristics of the Supply Air Terminal Device on the Airflow Pattern

Displacement ventilation is acknowledged to be an efficient system for the removal of contaminants and excess heat from occupied zones of rooms. However, airflow rates, temperature and the design of the air supply device strongly influence the parameters which determine thermal comfort. This paper reviews experiments and theoretical models which show the connection between these parameters. The width and shape of the air supply device have been varied, and a porous media has been used on the inlet area of the air supply device. The velocity and temperature profiles have been measured. The results presented show also that the flow can be described with respect to width and form of the profiles for temperature and velocity. The flow does not operate like a turbulent jet due to thermal stratification. It is shown that the Archimedes number of the supply air is the parameter which determines the air velocity in the area close to the floor. (The Archimedes number is here defined as the ratio between buoyancy and inertia forces.) The results show that it is possible to remove considerable amounts of excess heat from a room, typically 40-50 W/m², without exceeding the limits for thermal comfort. However, this requires relatively high airflow rates and supply air terminal units at least along one of the walls.     

Advantages for passengers and cabin crew of operating a gas-phase adsorption air purifier in 11-h simulated flights

Experiments were carried out in a three-row, 21-seat section of a simulated aircraft cabin installed in a climate chamber to evaluate the extent to which passengers' perception of cabin air quality is affected by the operation of a gas-phase adsorption (GPA) purification unit. A total of 68 subjects, divided into four groups of 17 subjects took part in simulated 11-h flights. Each group experienced four conditions in balanced order, defined by two outside air supply rates (2.4 and 3.3 l/s per person), with and without the GPA purification unit installed in the recirculated air system, a total of 2992 subject-hours of exposure. During each flight the subjects completed questionnaires five times to provide subjective assessments of air quality, cabin environment, intensity of symptoms, and thermal comfort. Additionally, the subjects' visual acuity, finger temperature, skin dryness, and nasal peak flow were measured three times during each flight. Analysis of the subjective assessments showed that operating a GPA unit in the recirculated air provided consistent advantages with no apparent disadvantages. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Operating a gas-phase adsorption (GPA) air purifier unit in the recirculated air in a simulated airplane cabin provided a clear and consistent advantage for passengers and crew that became increasingly apparent at longer flight times. This finding indicates that the expense of undertaking duly blinded field trials on revenue flights would be justified.     

Experimental parametric study of forced and mixed convection in a passenger aircraft cabin mock-up

Forced and mixed convection has been investigated experimentally in a full scale passenger aircraft cabin mock-up. The mock-up represents a generic cabin section of the A380 upper deck. Large scale particle image velocimetry (PIV) and temperature field measurements were conducted in a cross sectional plane of the cabin mock-up. The flow fields for two different air inlet configurations were measured and analysed under isothermal and cooling conditions. Furthermore the flow rates at the different air inlet positions were varied while keeping the air exchange rate constant. Our extensive experimental parametric study demonstrates that the flow field in aircraft cabins is affected by various fluid mechanical phenomena. Interaction between the supplied air jets, negative buoyancy forces acting on these air jets and interaction of thermal plumes with the supplied air jets, all influence the flow field inside the cabin. The impact of these effects differs considerably depending on the ventilation configuration and relative mass flow settings at the supply inlets.     

高等级生物安全实验室压力控制方法

总结了17个已建、在建或正在设计的有气密性要求的生物安全四级、大动物生物安全三级实验室所采用的压力控制方法。介绍了变送定排、定送变排、定送定排(大压差)模式的压力控制方式及其特点。分析了不同类型调节阀的选用、ⅡB2型生物安全柜的连接、风量计算和排风机选型及房间送排风形式等环节的常见问题对压力控制系统的影响。讨论了系统压力控制的稳定性、精度和智能化发展方向,为相关建设标准的修订提出了建议。     

Passenger evaluation of the optimum balance between fresh air supply and humidity from 7-h exposures in a simulated aircraft cabin

A 21-seat section of an aircraft cabin with realistic pollution sources was built inside a climate chamber capable of providing fresh outside air at very low humidity. Maintaining a constant 200 l/s rate of total air supply, i.e. recirculated and make-up air, to the cabin, experiments simulating 7-h transatlantic flights were carried out at four rates of fresh outside air supply--1.4, 3.3, 4.7, and 9.4 l/s per person (3, 7, 10, and 20 cfm/person)--resulting in humidity levels, ranging from 7% to 28% relative humidity (RH). Four groups of 16-18 subjects acted as passengers and crew and were each exposed to the four simulated flight conditions. During each flight the subjects completed questionnaires three times to provide subjective ratings of air quality and of symptoms commonly experienced during flight. Physiological tests of eye, nose, and skin function were administered twice. Analysis of the subjective assessments showed that increasing RH in the aircraft cabin to 28% RH by reducing outside flow to 1.4 l/s per person did not reduce the intensity of the symptoms that are typical of the aircraft cabin environment. On the contrary, it intensified complaints of headache, dizziness, and claustrophobia, due to the increased level of contaminants. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The investigation shows that increasing aircraft cabin humidity by decreasing the ventilation flow rate of fresh outside air would not decrease reports of discomfort made by cabin occupants.     

日本体育馆空调及其自动控制新技术

介绍了日本体育馆综合设施采用的座椅送风、自然通风、就座人数测定、变换空调四项技术及其自动控制。     

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.     

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.     

Effects of Air Inlet Configuration on Forced-Ventilation Enclosure Fires on a Naval Ship

The effects of air inlet configuration on pool fire behavior in a mechanically ventilated cabin were investigated. The closed cabin used was a model of a certain machinery cabin on a naval ship. Two air inlet configurations of one vent and two vents were taken into account together with five different elevations of air inlet. In one-vent cases, mass loss rate and gas temperature were lower and oxygen concentrations were higher than those of two-vent cases. With the increase of air inlet elevation, a sudden drop in average mass loss rate and peak temperature were found in the two-vent cases at the air inlet elevation of 1.56 m. In one-vent cases, a similar drop in average mass loss rate was found at the air inlet elevation of 0.88 m, while the peak temperature was almost unaffected by inlet elevation. According to temperature profiles and the characteristic parameter of the smoke layer stability, the formation of the smoke layer was destroyed by increasing the air inlet elevation or reducing the air inlets, and furthermore a more uniform distribution could be found. For the current cabin, the one-vent case with a lower air inlet elevation was recommended for smoke control, and the inlet should be set away from the essential equipment and the entrances of the cabin.     

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.     

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.     

Fuzzy control model and simulation of supply air system in a test rig of low-temperature hot-water radiator system

This paper proposes a typical multi-variable, large time delay and nonlinear system, self-extracting rules fuzzy control (SERFC) method to maintain a stable temperature value in a built environment chamber with supply air system and hot-water system. The parameters of the transfer functions in every control loop were identified by experimental data in a format of time sequences obtained from the experiment of dynamical responding performance. Fuzzy control simulations were implemented based on adjustment of the supply air system and hot-water system by SERFC. The simulation results show that SERFC for environment chamber has satisfied performance. There is no higher overshoot and stable error. The work presented in here can be used to deal with those complex thermal processes with difficulties in modeling of fuzzy control rules and provide a foundation for further application of fuzzy control in HVAC system.     

综合管廊电缆舱室通风形式数值模拟研究

通过数值模拟的方法,对青岛某综合管廊电缆舱室通风系统进行研究。采用传统的机械排风加自然补风通风系统,舱室平均温度为31.8℃,但排风口平均温度达到43.6℃,高于设计标准的限值40℃。采用诱导通风系统,舱室内平均温度为31.5℃,排风口平均温度降至37.3℃,保障了舱室顶部设备的正常运行。对两种通风方式下电缆舱内温度场均匀性进行分析,研究发现:舱室内温度场方差分别为6.645和4.667,诱导通风系统空气温度分布均匀性优于机械排风加自然补风通风系统。此外,对两种通风方式下电缆舱内速度场进行分析对比,结果表明:沿舱室高度方向,诱导通风系统的平均风速大于机械排风加自然补风通风系统,空气流动死角较少,更有利于舱室内的气流组织。     

A CFD Analysis of Ventilation Effectiveness in a Partitioned Room

A numerical model has been developed to investigate the contaminant removal and air freshness in a ventilated two-zone enclosure. The average contaminants and the distributions of air age in each zone under variable positions of door, supply and exhaust are compared. The correlation between the average contaminants and each of the main parameters, such as door location, supply and exhaust positions etc., are presented, and the average air ages in both zones are illustrated against door position. It is found that the average air age in the upstream zone is less affected by the door position than that in the downstream zone, and that the door position near the side-walls seems to give better air circulation. It is also concluded that the supply and door positions affect the concentration in the upstream zone significantly, while the exhaust location does not seem to influence the average concentration in either the upstream or the downstream zone.     

太原市热力公司锅炉鼓风系统节能改造

结合太原市热力公司集中供热的现状,采用大风仓,小风斗的送风模式,对锅炉鼓风系统进行了改造,并对改造的方案作了阐述,同时探讨了节能措施,指出改造后,炉排面几乎每一点都可调节送风量,实现均匀送风,保证煤的完全燃烧,使炉排的燃烧效率提高。