A Review of Thermal Comfort Applied in Bus Cabin Environments

Abstract

As of 2020, it has been 50 years since the publication of Fanger’s predictive model of thermal comfort that was designed for indoor environments and attention worldwide is directed at the COVID-19 pandemic and discussions around recommendations for these indoor environments. In this context, many environments and their occupants will suffer consequences related to thermal comfort due to the necessary indoor air changes. In bus cabins, the impact might be even greater, seeing that they are responsible for the mass transportation of people. Thus, this paper intends to review the studies on thermal comfort that analyzed bus cabin environments. It adapts the PRISMA methodology and, as a result, it includes 22 research papers published in journals. Among those, 73% focused on approaching the occupants’ thermal sensation, followed by fuel/energy economy (18%), and driver productivity (9%). The current state-of-the-art indicates that air temperature and air velocity were the parameters most employed by the included studies, but eight papers analyzed all six parameters of the standard models of thermal comfort. The most employed model of thermal comfort was Fanger’s, but there has not been an investigation that assesses its consistency in predicting the occupants’ thermal sensation in the explored environment. Nevertheless, the analyzed studies recommended constant air change inside closed buses or keeping them open to minimize adverse effects on the occupants’ health, especially due to airborne diseases and CO2 concentration possibly being a suitable indicator to identify the need for air change.

Dynamic Analysis and Seat Selection of Bus Driving Comfort under Different Road Conditions

“…N* is a positive integer. The general differential equation of bus motion is still Equation (11). Its boundary conditions at this stage become the following: when x = b + c, the motion state of road condition II should satisfy Equation (16) in road condition I.…”

“…At this time, the bus position is 2ns ≤ x ≤ 2ns + (b + c) (n ∈ N*). The differential equation of motion in the road condition III is still Equation (11). When x = 2ns (n ∈ N*), the motion state of road condition III should satisfy Equation ( 21) when x = 2ns (n ∈ N*) in road condition II.…”

Innovative High-Induction Air Diffuser for Enhanced Air Mixing in Vehicles and Personalized Ventilation Applications

“…Similarly, in airplanes, maintaining a comfortable cabin environment is very important for passenger health and well-being during long flights [19,20]. Additionally, in buses, ensuring a comfortable atmosphere is also important for passenger satisfaction and can reduce the stress associated with travel [18,21]. These studies collectively underscore the need for advanced ventilation systems and improved air diffuser designs to enhance passenger comfort across various modes of transportation.…”