Heat Transfer Based Numerical Investigation of Aircraft Cabin Environment from Various Inlet Conditions

A numerical investigation was conducted to study the heat transfer in an aircraft cabin and the effects of air distribution under different angle and inlet velocity conditions. The Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations and the low Reynolds number turbulence model were used to simulate the airflow in the cabin. Mathematical statistics was used to process the relevant data, and statistical results revealed that different inlet angles and velocities significantly affect air temperature and flow field. The study also determined a set of optimum matching inlet vane angles and inlet velocities that result in an environment which meets standard requirements and is energy saving. Additional studies were also conducted on the thermal comfort in cabin environments under optimal conditions. The conclusions of this thesis are scientific and feasible, and they can be used to improve the comfortableness of cabin environments.