Alternative Design of Air Ventilation in Passenger Lift for Thermal Comfort

Abstract

Thermal comfort is an important aspect for passenger lift operation. It is a common

experience to encounter thermal discomfort, especially in crowded passenger lifts. The

interior temperature of passenger lifts is the deciding factor of thermal comfort, which

is dependable on the size of the lift, number of passengers, air vents size and

ventilation system. This study investigated an alternative design by replaced the intake

fan with an exhaust fan and by introduced automatically operated dynamic air vents.

This concept of integrated an exhaust fan and dynamic air vents is conducted on a

Schindler passenger lift with FLUENT. The simulations conducted are compared with

the conventional design, where airflow pattern, airflow velocity, and temperature

changes are studied. Airflow analysis showed that the alternative ventilation system

promoted a well-distributed airflow pattern within the lift with an average air velocity

of 0.5 m/s at specific dynamic air vent angles. The air temperature surrounding the

passenger is cooled and maintained at an average 24 °C while maintaining the overall

interior temperature. The temperature difference between the human head and the

lower body region for the conventional and alternative system were 3 °C and 2 °C,

respectively. The airflow pattern, airflow velocity, and temperature changes with the

alternative design are observed to be better than those of the conventional design.

Hence, the proposed design offers an alternative to improve thermal comfort inside

passenger lift.