title: Experimental investigation of personal air supply nozzle use in aircraft cabins.
abstract: To study air passengers' use of individual air supply nozzles in aircraft cabins, we constructed an experimental chamber which replicated the interior of a modern passenger aircraft. A series of experiments were conducted at different levels of cabin occupancy. Survey data were collected focused on the reasons for opening the nozzle, adjusting the level of air flow, and changing the direction of the air flow. The results showed that human thermal and draft sensations change over time in an aircraft cabin. The thermal sensation response was highest when the volunteers first entered the cabin and decreased over time until it stablized. Fifty-one percent of volunteers opened the nozzle to alleviate a feeling of stuffiness, and more than 50% adjusted the nozzle to improve upper body comfort. Over the period of the experiment the majority of volunteers chose to adjust their the air flow of their personal system. This confirms airline companies' decisions to install the individual aircraft ventilation systems in their aircraft indicates that personal air systems based on nozzle adjustment are essential for cabin comfort. These results will assist in the design of more efficient air distribution systems within passenger aircraft cabins where there is a need to optimize the air flow in order to efficiently improve aircraft passengers' thermal comfort and reduce energy use.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-Environment (Ministry of Education), Chongqing University, Chongqing 400042, PR China; The National Centre for International Research of Low-carbon and Green Buildings, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400042, PR China; The School of Civil Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, PR China.
authors.forename: Zhaosong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-Environment (Ministry of Education), Chongqing University, Chongqing 400042, PR China; The National Centre for International Research of Low-carbon and Green Buildings, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400042, PR China. Electronic address: liuhong1865@163.com.
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-Environment (Ministry of Education), Chongqing University, Chongqing 400042, PR China; The National Centre for International Research of Low-carbon and Green Buildings, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400042, PR China. Electronic address: baizhanli09@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Baizhan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-Environment (Ministry of Education), Chongqing University, Chongqing 400042, PR China; The National Centre for International Research of Low-carbon and Green Buildings, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400042, PR China.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baldwin
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-Environment (Ministry of Education), Chongqing University, Chongqing 400042, PR China; The National Centre for International Research of Low-carbon and Green Buildings, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400042, PR China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-Environment (Ministry of Education), Chongqing University, Chongqing 400042, PR China; The National Centre for International Research of Low-carbon and Green Buildings, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400042, PR China.
authors.forename: Kechao
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Xia
mesh_terms: D000389:Air Conditioning; D000401:Aircraft; D001519:Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010550:Personal Space; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013696:Temperature; D013697:Thermosensing; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Aircraft cabin; Nozzle air distribution system; Nozzle use behaviour