Numerical simulation on the influence of solar incidence angle on the car internal flow field
This paper simulates and analyzes non-uniform thermal environment in the cabin by means of CFD. The RNG k -ε turbulent model is chosen, and the Discrete Ordinates radiation model is used to calculate the thermal radiation of the cabin. This paper analyses the influence of three different solar incidence angles on the thermal comfort of car occupants. A reference for the optimal research of the evaluation of indoor comfortable environment is given.
Effects of Spectral Properties of Glass on Thermal Comfort of Car Occupants
Abstract The effect of different sources of radiation on the transmissive and reflective performance of glass was investigated to enable the accurate evaluation of solar radiation through a glass window. The performance of these two properties is quite different with different radiation sources, such as solar radiation from the sun or infrared solar lamps, because of the spectral properties of both the glass and radiation sources. We also discuss how differences in the transmissive and reflective performance of the glass affect the thermal comfort of car occupants. A numerical simulation method, based on comprehensive combined analysis of a thermoregulation model of the human body, radiation models, including thermal radiation and solar radiation, and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is conducted for this purpose. In addition, the numerical simulation method was combined with a numerical thermal manikin model, including the algorithm for the control system of the thermal manikin, and tested for its effectiveness for the evaluation of thermal comfort. It was shown that the numerical model performed equally well and therefore could be used as a substitute for the thermal manikin for the assessment of equivalent temperature in the experiments discussed in ISO/NP-14505.
Comparison of Indoor Vehicle Thermal Soak Tests to Outdoor Tests
Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory conducted outdoor vehicle thermal soak tests in Golden, Colorado, in September 2002. The same environmental conditions and vehicle were then tested indoors in two DaimlerChrysler test cells, one with metal halide lamps and one with infrared lamps. Results show that the vehicle’s shaded interior temperatures correlated well with the outdoor data, while temperatures in the direct sun did not. The large lamp array situated over the vehicle caused the roof to be significantly hotter indoors. Yet, inside the vehicle, the instrument panel was cooler due to the geometry of the lamp array and the spectral difference between the lamps and sun. Results indicate that solar lamps effectively heat the cabin interior in indoor vehicle soak tests for climate control evaluation and SCO3 emissions tests. However, such lamps do not effectively assess vehicle skin temperatures and glazing temperatures.