BACKGROUND
Aircraft cabins are special indoor environments where passengers are provided with a mixture of outside air and filtered recirculated air. They sit in close proximity in a space with low humidity and low pressure that they cannot leave. To reduce the carbon footprint of flying, to save energy and divert less kerosene from producing thrust, an aircraft environmental control system (ECS) should be adaptive and regulate the air supply based on the actual cabin air quality, the carbon dioxide (CO2), and/or volatile organic compound (VOC) concentrations. The question is whether a decrease of outside air and an increase of recirculated air supply and subsequently increased humidity, CO2, and VOCs would impact passengers' comfort, well-being, health, and cognitive performance. To answer this question, we performed various randomized controlled studies with hundreds of subjects exposed to different ventilation scenarios and cabin air qualities concerning CO2 and VOC content as well as cabin pressure and occupancy during several simulated 4 h flights in an aircraft cabin mock-up in a low-pressure chamber. During the exposures, subjects rated their comfort, well-being, and health symptoms several times. At the beginning and end of the exposure, cognitive performance tests were also carried out. Heart rate and heart rate variability of subjects controlled for individual rest measures and cabin air quality parameters were monitored continuously.
AIMS AND SCOPE
Based on extensive literature and empirical data presented in this workshop, we want to discuss the combined influence of aircraft cabin pressure, CO2, and VOC levels and their changes with ventilation strategies on passenger comfort, well-being, health, and cognitive performance.
We also seek opinions from stakeholders on whether cabin ventilation based on CO2/VOC sensor-controlled adaptive ECS for kerosene saving while maintaining good cabin air quality is a promising path and how to gain acceptance of air purification technologies as a substitute for increased outside air ventilation.
PRESENTATIONS
Review of measured indoor air quality parameters in aircraft cabin and their relevance for occupants.
Pawel Wargocki, Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Lyngby, Denmark, chair
Effect of ventilation rates and occupancy on comfort, well-being, and health parameters during a simulated 4 h flight – results of a randomized controlled study in a low-pressure chamber
Britta Herbig, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU), Munich, Germany
Effects of different levels of pressure, CO2 and VOC concentrations on cognitive performance of passengers – results of a large scale experimental study in an aircraft mock-up
Britta Herbig, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU), Munich, Germany
Cabin odor perception during varying operating conditions
Florian Mayer, Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics (IBP), Valley, Germany, chair
Enablers for adaptive Environmental Control Systems to improve passenger well-being while optimizing aircraft energy consumption to reduce the carbon footprint of air travel
Richard Fox, Aircraft Environment Solutions Inc., San Tan Valley, AZ, USA
