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Air quality and passenger comfort in an air-conditioned bus micro-environment

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A Correction to this article was published on 17 August 2018

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Abstract

In this study, passenger comfort and the air pollution status of the micro-environmental conditions in an air-conditioned bus were investigated through questionnaires, field measurements, and a numerical simulation. As a subjective analysis, passengers’ perceptions of indoor environmental quality and comfort levels were determined from questionnaires. As an objective analysis, a numerical simulation was conducted using a discrete phase model to determine the diffusion and distribution of pollutants, including particulate matter with a diameter < 10 μm (PM10), which were verified by experimental results. The results revealed poor air quality and dissatisfactory thermal comfort conditions in Jinan’s air-conditioned bus system. To solve these problems, three scenarios (schemes A, B, C) were designed to alter the ventilation parameters. According to the results of an improved simulation of these scenarios, reducing or adding air outputs would shorten the time taken to reach steady-state conditions and weaken the airflow or lower the temperature in the cabin. The airflow pathway was closely related to the layout of the air conditioning. Scheme B lowered the temperature by 0.4 K and reduced the airflow by 0.01 m/s, while scheme C reduced the volume concentration of PM10 to 150 μg/m3. Changing the air supply angle could further improve the airflow and reduce the concentration of PM10. With regard to the perception of airflow and thermal comfort, the scheme with an airflow provided by a 60° nozzle was considered better, and the concentration of PM10 was reduced to 130 μg/m3.

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  • 17 August 2018

    The original version of this article unfortunately contained an error in the affiliation section and an error of the email address of corresponding author.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge the contribution of Peng Wang, assistant engineer, from Shandong Shuangliang Hengli Power Engineering Co., Ltd., who participated in the study.

Funding

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant No. 11372166) and the key research project of Shandong Yingcai University (project number: 17YCZDZR06).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Automotive Engineering, Shandong Yingcai University, P.O. Box 250104, Jinan, China

    Xiaoxuan Zhu

  2. School of Energy and Power Engineering, Shandong University, P.O. Box 250061, Jinan, China

    Li Lei & Yinghui Zhang

  3. School of Traffic and Transportation, Beijing Jiaotong University, P.O. Box 100044, Beijing, China

    Xingshen Wang

Authors
  1. Xiaoxuan Zhu
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  2. Li Lei
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  3. Xingshen Wang
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  4. Yinghui Zhang
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Correspondence to Li Lei.

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Zhu, X., Lei, L., Wang, X. et al. Air quality and passenger comfort in an air-conditioned bus micro-environment. Environ Monit Assess 190, 276 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-018-6593-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-018-6593-7

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