Abstract
The external environment at 41000 ft (12500 m), a typical cruise altitude for modern civil aircraft, is hostile to human life. Aircraft environmental control systems are designed to ensure the survival of the aircraft occupants as well as providing them with a comfortable atmosphere. Major design drivers for the environmental control system are thermal comfort, pressurisation and cabin air quality. However, these parameters cannot be considered independently. They interact between themselves and with other parameters, which may or may not be controllable by the system designer. These interactions occur in a highly complex manner. Research has led to a good understanding of the basic functions to allow safe and comfortable aircraft environmental conditions. Future research efforts will be increasingly focussed on identifying and elaborating the interdependency of factors in order to further enhance the aircraft cabin environment.
Keywords: Environmental control system, Thermal comfort, Cabin air quality, Pressurisation, Humidity control
Abbreviations
- APU
Auxiliary power unit
- ASHRAE
American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers
- ASICA
Air management simulation for aircraft cabins
- CDC
Centers for Disease Control
- CFD
Computational fluid dynamics
- cfm
Cubic feet per minute
- CPCS
Cabin pressurisation control system
- DIN
Deutsches Institut für Normung (German Standardisation Institute)
- ECS
Environmental control system
- FAA
Federal Aviation Administration
- FACE
Friendly aircraft cabin environment
- FAR
Federal Aviation Regulations
- FL
Flight level
- HEACE
Health effects in aircraft cabin environment
- HEPA
High-efficiency particulate arrestor
- IFE
In-flight entertainment
- JAA
Joint Aviation Authorities
- JAR
Joint Aviation Requirements
- LF
Load factor
- MAK
Maximale Arbeitsplatz-Konzentration (German Maximum Workplace Concentrations)
- MIL
Military standard
- ppm
Parts per million
- RH
Relative humidity
- SARS
Severe acute respiratory syndrome
- SVOC
Semi-volatile organic compounds
- VOC
Volatile organic compound
- WHO
World Health Organisation
Contributor Information
Martin Hocking, Email: hockingm@uvic.ca.
M. Dechow, Email: martin.dechow@airbus.com
C.A.H. Nurcombe, Email: claire.nurcombe@airbus.com
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