Impact of a three-dimensional air-conditioning system on thermal comfort: An experimental study

Abstract

This paper investigates the impact of a three-dimensional (3D) air-conditioning (AC) system on cabin thermal comfort. Current AC systems are dependent on the cooling performance of Heating, Ventilation, and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) systems located inside the front instrument panel and supplying cold air from the front to the rear cabin. This results in a difference in perceived thermal comfort between the front and back seats due to a number of factors, including solar radiation through the windows, blower air path, and individual environmental differences. The 3D AC system was designed to improve the thermal comfort of passengers. In order to simulate the 3D AC system, an auxiliary blower was adapted for rear passengers. A cooling performance test and thermal comfort evaluation were conducted, with the blower at various positions in the cabin. According to the experiment results, four positions of the auxiliary blower showed cooling comfort ratings similar to those of the current HVAC system environment, and the thermal comfort ratings in the 3D AC experiment showed improvement. In other words, 3D AC system can reduce energy consumption, because it can reach the set temperature with less AC system operation.