Experimental and numerical investigation of airflow and contaminant transport in an airliner cabin mockup

The study of airflow and contaminant transport in airliner cabins is very important for creating a comfortable and healthy environment. This paper shows the results of such a study by conducting experimental measurements and numerical simulations of airflow and contaminant transport in a section of half occupied, twin-aisle cabin mockup. The air velocity and air temperature were measured by ultrasonic and omni-directional anemometers. A gaseous contaminant was simulated by a tracer gas, sulfur hexafluoride or SF6, and measured by a photo-acoustic multi-gas analyzer. A particulate contaminant was simulated by 0.7 mu m di-ethyl-hexyl-sebacat (DEHS) particles and measured by an optical particle sizer. The numerical simulations used the Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes equations based on the RNG k-epsilon model to solve the air velocity, air temperature, and gas contaminant concentration; and employed a Lagrangian method to model the particle transport. The numerical results quantitatively agreed with the experimental data while some errors. A complete and accurate validation for a complicated cabin environment is challenging and difficult. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.