Thermal Comfort in the Automotive Field and the Use of CFD to Improve It

Abstract

Authors: G. Lombardi, M. Maganzi, F. Cannizzo, E. Cardile

Keywords: automotive thermal comfort, passenger compartment, automotive CFD, HVAC, comfort indices, solar radiation

Thermal comfort inside the passenger compartment is an increasingly important factor in high-performance automotive design. It results from the complex interaction between thermo-fluid-dynamic phenomena and subjective physiological perception. The paper presents an integrated procedure for assessing thermal comfort through CFD simulations, aimed at defining quantitative indices that represent environmental conditions inside the vehicle.