Experimental and numerical investigation on the convective thermal plume around the head of the standing and lying hu-man body

Laurenţiu Tăcutu,Ilinca Năstase,Florin Bode,Angel Dogeanu,Mihnea Sandu,Cristiana Verona Croitoru,M.C Balan,C Georgescu,I Nastase,A Dogeanu,M Sandu,C Croitoru,F Bode,A Georgescu

doi:10.1051/e3sconf/20198502016

Abstract

This paper presents a study for two thermal plumes generated by two humanoid thermal manikins, one standing and one lying down. The research was approached from a numerical and experimental perspective. The numerical model represents an operating room (OR) with two surgeons, a patient and a unidirectional air flow (UAF) diffuser. The experimental study was made in a climatic chamber, having a similar air distribution system, using particle image velocimetry (PIV) and infrared thermography (IR) measurements. The purpose of the study was to characterize the thermal plumes of the two manikins by numerical and experimental studies. The results obtained from these different approaches were compared with each other and with the ones from the literature in order to validate our numerical models.

Highlights

A typical problem regarding the conception of building systems and simulation of the resulting indoor environment, which is still not acknowledged, are the convection flows caused by heat sources, like the human body plume
The measurements were made in a climatic chamber that simulates a real scale operating room (OR), which has the dimensions of 3.5x3.5x2.5m, a hydraulic and automation system for temperature control on each wall, including door, and an air ventilation system with a unidirectional air flow (UAF) diffuser, called as laminar air flow (LAF) diffuser
The importance of studying thermal plumes comes from their effect on the air circulation in an enclosure, which automatically has repercussion on the thermal comfort, aerosol distribution and energy efficiency

Summary

Introduction

A typical problem regarding the conception of building systems and simulation of the resulting indoor environment, which is still not acknowledged, are the convection flows caused by heat sources, like the human body plume. These thermal plumes can significantly affect the flow distribution in rooms, especially when significant heat sources (occupants, equipment’s) are present in the enclosure[1,2,3]. As shown by [4] the point of occurrence of the maximum air velocity in the occupied zone depends on the heat source strength and its distribution in the room This type of situation is encountered in practice. The hands of the surgeon were placed above the patient, in an operating scenario that is commonly found in practice

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