Experimental and dynamic thermal numerical investigation of a climate test chamber

Abstract

In order to investigate the effects of environmental conditions on materials, industrial products or to meet long warranty periods of the products, various tests are performed in the climate test chambers. They have a multidisciplinary structure and should be designed according to different operating conditions. So obtaining the mathematical model of them and knowing the performance of dynamic behavior are significant both in the design phase and in the control of the designed system. In this study, a novel model is developed for numerical investigation of heating process of prototype climatic test due to the mentioned needs. A so-called temperature-dependent L-section line approach was developed. The insulation material was divided into seven segments. The thermal conduction coefficients of the insulation material, mass flow rate, and specific heat of the air were modeled as a function of temperature, as distinct from constant-coefficient lumped-parameter approaches. The simulation results were compared with the experimental results for different conditions, it was observed that the presented approach was compatible with the experimental results. This developed model is not only limited to climate test chambers, but can also be applied to different engineering disciplines such as control, energy, heat and mass transfer, building, and construction.