Tracking Hand And Facial Skin Temperatures In An Automobile By Using Ir-Thermography During Heating Period

Year 2012, Volume: 25 Issue: 1, 207 - 217, 24.01.2012

Mehmet Korukcu , Muhsin Kılıc

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to track hand and facial skin temperatures by IR-thermography under transient heating period in an automobile. Hands and face are the only unclothed parts of the body during heating period and they are much more affected by temperature variations in transient conditions, therefore heat losses from these parts are important and cause local discomfort. In order to capture infrared thermograph of these body parts, an infrared thermal camera which has a spectral range between 7.5 to 13 m was used. Besides IR-thermographic results the thermal interactions between hand and face are simulated. In the simulation Gagge-2 node model was used. The simulation results are compared with the available data in the literature to verify the model. The results were in good agreement and can give a good prediction of temperature distribution and thermal discomfort of hand and face. Instant conductive, convective and radiative heat losses from hands and face were calculated for transient conditions. The obtained results can be used to improve thermal comfort models in automobiles as well as in other volumes under transient conditions.

Keywords

Thermal comfort, IR-thermography, Simulation

References

• Smiley, A., Brookhuis, K. A., “Alcohol, drugs and safety”, In Road users and Traffic Safety, 83-105 (1987).
• Milosevic, S., “Drivers’ fatigue studies”, Ergonomics, 40: 381-389 (1997).
• Hagino, M., Hara, J., “Development of a method for predicting comfortable airflow in the passenger compartment”, SAE Technical Paper, Ser 922131: 1–10 (1992).
• Taniguchi, Y., Aoki, H., Fujikake, K., Tanaka, H., Kitada, M., “Study on car air conditioning system controlled by car occupants’ skin temperatures-part 1: Research on a method of quantitative evaluation of car occupants’ thermal sensations by skin temperatures”, SAE Paper, Ser 920169:13–19 (1992).
• Kato, M., Sugenoya, J., Matsumoto, T., Nishiyama, T., Nishimura, N., Inukai, Y., Okagawa, T., Yonezawa, H., “The effects of facial fanning on thermal comfort sensation during hyperthermia”, Pflügers Arch, 443: 175–179 (2001).
• Armada-da-Silva, PAS, Woods, J., Jones, D.A., “The effect of passive heating and face cooling on perceived exertion during exercise in the heat”, Eur. J. Appl. Physiology, 91: 563–571, (2004).
• Minkina, W., Dudzik, S. “Infrared Thermography Errors and Uncertainties”, JohnWiley & Sons, Chichester, (2009).
• Choi, J. K, Miki, K., Sagawa, S., Shiraki, S. “Evaluation of mean skin temperature formulas by infrared thermography”, Int. Journal of Biometerology, 41: 68-75 (1997).
• Carignano, M., Pipplone, E., “Optimization of windscreen defrosting for industrial vehicles via computer assisted thermographic analysis”, SAE Technical Paper, Ser 905237 (1990).
• Burch, S., Hassani, V., Penney, T., “Use of infra- red thermography for automotive climate control analysis”, Automotive Congress, Barcelona, Spain, SAE Paper, Ser 931136 (2004).
• Korukçu, Ö., Kılıç, M., “The usage of IR- thermography for the temperature measurements inside an automobile cabin”, Int. Comm. in Heat and Mass Transfer, 36(8): 872-877 (2009).
• Fanger, P.O., “Thermal comfort analysis and applications in environmental engineering”, McGraw-Hill, New York ,(1970).
• Gagge, A.P., Stolwijk, J.A.J., “Nishi, Y., An effective temperature scale based on a simple model of human physiological regulatory response”, ASHRAE Transactions, 77 (1): 247– 257 (1971).
• Stolwijk, J.A., Hardy, J.D., “Partitional calorimetric studies of responses of man to thermal transients”, J. Appl. Physiol., 21: 967–977 (1966).
• Tanabe, S., Kobayashi, K., Nakano, J., Ozeki, Y., Konishi, K., “Evaluation of thermal comfort using combined multi-node thermoregulation (65MN) and radiation models and computational fluid dynamics (CFD)”, Energ. Buildings, 34: 637–646 (2002).
• Kaynakli, O., Unver, U., Kilic, M., “Simulation of thermal comfort heating and cooling periods in an automobile compartment”, Proceedings of the Automotive Technologies Congress, 24–26 June, Bursa, Turkey, 127–135 (in Turkish) (2002).
• Kaynakli, O., Kilic, M., “An investigation of thermal comfort inside an automobile during the heating period”, Applied Ergonomics, 36: 301– 312 (2005).
• Moffat, R. J., “Describing the Uncertainties in Experimental Results”, Experimental Thermal Fluid Science, 1: 3-17 (1988).
• ISO 9920, “Ergonomics: Estimation of the Thermal Characteristics of a Clothing Ensemble”, International Standards Organisation, Geneva, (2003).
• ISO 7726, “Ergonomics of the thermal environment -Instruments for measuring physical Quantities”, International Organization for Standardization, (1998).
• “Physiological principles and thermal comfort”, ASHRAE: Atlanta; ASHRAE Handbook— Fundamentals, (Chapter 8) (1997).
• “Moderate thermal environments—determination of the PMV and PPD indices and specification of the conditions for thermal comfort”, International Organization for Standardization, ISO 7730 (1994).
• Hardy, J.D., Stolwijk, J.A, “Partitional calorimetric studies of man during exposures to thermal transients”, Journal of Applied Physiology, 21: 1799–806 (1966).
• Huizenga, C., Hui, Z., Arens, E, “A model of human physiology and comfort for assessing complex thermal environments”, Building and Environment, 36: 691–9 (2001)
• Raven, P.R., Horvath, S.M., “Variability of physiological parameters of unacclimatized males during a two-hour cold stress of 5°C”, International Journal of Biometeorology, 14(3): 309–20 (1970).