Thermal convection characteristics of different thermal boundary condition defining methods in an aircraft cabin

Accurate numerical simulation methods are essential to create a comfortable and healthy cabin environment. The accuracy of the numerical simulation depends on the boundary conditions, and a cabin environment with high population densities has strong thermal convection. Therefore, we study the influence of different boundary conditions on the simulation results. In this study, we compare three different boundary conditions: heat flux, surface temperature and convective heat transfer coefficient. The results show that by calculating the comprehensive heat transfer coefficient in the boundary layer through experimental measurements, the thermal buoyancy of the human body can be considered. The simulation results of the convective heat transfer coefficient are more consistent with the experimental results than those of the heat flux and surface temperature, especially in the near-wall region, with a difference of only 7.08%. Moreover, comparing the influence of different BMIs on the microenvironment, it is concluded that passengers with different heat loads have the same heat transfer characteristics, which verifies the reliability of the research results. This study provides a high-quality method for improving computational fluid dynamics.