Paper 8: Thermal Comfort and Air Quality in Passenger Rail Cars
Xiaojiang
Ye1, Hongli Lu2, Li Dong2, Biying Sun2
and Yuanmou Liu2
1
Institute of Refrigeration and Cryogenics, Shanghai Jiao Tong University,
Shanghai, China
2
College of Basic Medicine, Shanghai Second Medical University, Shanghai, China
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Abstract
The definition of a good indoor climate is important to the success of a
passenger rail coach, not only because it will decide its energy consumption and
thus influence its sustainability but also because good comfort for long
journeys is essential. A survey in a coach investigating the thermal and air
quality environment was undertaken. The intention is to use the results to
optimise the control of the ventilation system to provide an indoor climate that
passengers will find comfortable. Field surveys were carried out in long-haul
rail sleeper cars in China under real travelling conditions. In this study,
seven main parameters were surveyed, including thermal comfort, relative
humidity, air quality level, clothing, and environmental preference, etc.
Returned questionnaires, 91 in total, reported responses to the environment
within the coach. The majority of subjects reported that the air quality in the
coach was average or good, and most of them voted the air environment to be
acceptable. Most passengers could smell some odour in the coach, but it was not
strong. The results of this study show that outdoor air ventilation,
temperature, humidity and clothing are major factors that influence
passengers’ thermal comfort.
Key words:
thermal comfort, indoor air
quality, air temperature, ventilation, railway coach, case study.
