Evaluation of indoor environmental quality of civil aircraft cabins based on published data

¹ School of Aeronautic Science and Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
² Tianmushan Laboratory, Yuhang District, Hangzhou 311115, China
³ Wuhan Second Ship Design and Research Institute, Wuhan 430205, China

Abstract

The civil aircraft cabin is enclosed and highly occupied, making it susceptible to a decline in indoor environmental quality. This deterioration can lead to discomfort and even health issues for passengers and crew members. To enhance the comfort of the flying public, the aircraft cabin environment should maintain appropriate thermal environment and low concentrations of air pollutants. Aircraft cabin environmental quality depends on various factors, which can be categorized as both subjective and objective. Objective factors encompass thermal environment parameters and the presence of air pollutants such as CO2, CO, O3, PM and VOCs. Subjective factors pertain to the environmental perceptions and health symptoms of passengers and crew. This study has reviewed the published data in recent studies to summarize the primary categories, standard limits, and distribution ranges of indoor environmental factors in aircraft cabins. Utilizing the Monte Carlo method, the study has determined distribution ranges for temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed within the confines of a thermally comfortable cabin environment, considering indices like predicted mean vote (PMV). Moreover, the study has identified categories of air pollutants with potential health-related risks. The findings provide an evaluation of current status of aircraft cabin environmental quality and could be serve as a valuable reference for optimizing indoor environmental quality within next-generation civil aircraft cabins.