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An adequate mass flow distribution on instrument panel air vents is fundamental for passengers thermal comfort in an automobile. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a useful tool to achieve this goal, since one can identify flow patterns and details that cannot be seen during experimental tests. Despite the software and hardware developments in the last years it is still necessary and clever to make simplifications in the numerical models: the simpler and still representative the model the better it is. In this context the present work aims to study the influence of the HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) system geometry on mass flow distribution simulation. A total of 8 different domains were studied: Complete HVAC system in recirculation position, Complete HVAC system in external intake position, HVAC cut in the filter area, HVAC cut in the evaporator region and one model without HVAC system.

There is a worldwide trend for the evaluation of internal thermal comfort in aircraft cabins. Even nowadays one of the major difficulties found is the development and application of a standardized index of internal thermal comfort evaluation in the complex environment of a passenger cabin. The objective of this paper is the CFD model description to evaluate the thermal environment in an aircraft passenger cabin and its results. For this, a digital thermal manikin was developed. Experimental and numerical global heat transfer coefficients were compared. Precision of less than 10% was achieved. In this evaluation five turbulent models were tested. Latter, two numerically calibrated manikins were put into a typical cabin. As a comfort index it was used the equivalent temperature for eighteen body segments. A study of the manikin equivalent temperatures with the aircraft on the ground, in cruise and with low ventilation conditions is presented.