Current studies on air distributions in commercial airliner cabins

Abstract

Air distribution in commercial airliner cabins is very important for the comfort and health of passengers and crew. Experimental measurements, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, and inverse modeling are state-of-the-art methods available for studying the air distribution. This paper gave an overview of the different experimental models, such as scale models, simplified models, full-scale mockups, and actual air cabins. Although experimental measurements were expensive and time consuming, the data were essential for validating CFD simulations. Different modeling strategies for CFD simulations were also discussed in this paper, including large eddy simulations and Reynolds averaged Navier—Stokes equation modeling. CFD simulations were main stream approaches for studying the air distribution but they could not easily lead to optimal design. Inverse modeling of air distribution has recently emerged into a very powerful and attractive tool for designing the air distribution in airliner cabins, although most of the studies were preliminary.