THERMAL COMFORT ANALYSIS INSIDE A CAR

✍ Scribed by Walid Chakroun; Sami Al-Fahed

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1997
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 268 KB
• Volume: 21
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0363-907X
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1099-114x(19970325)21:4<327::aid-er247>3.0.co;2-e

✦ Synopsis

Owing to the hot harsh weather conditions in Kuwait during the summer months, the ambient temperature inside a car parked in the sun may reach 50°C and the temperature may reach 75°C. As a result, people are seriously concerned about how to keep their cars cool. This paper addresses the behaviour of the air temperature inside a car parked in the sun. Different covering arrangements were tested, including covering the front windshield, covering the front windshield and four side windows, and covering both windshields and four side windows. In addition, the novel idea was also tested of installing a solar powered ventilating fan. Such a technique was found to be very effective in reducing the inside air temperature of a car parked in the sun. The effects of the covering arrangements of the car and the solar fan on the initial cooling rate of an air-conditioning system during normal driving conditions were also analysed. Different physical parameters, namely air velocity, mean radiant temperature and humidity, were combined with air temperature to determine the comfort level of a person inside a car.