Modeling of Humidity in Passenger Cars Equipped with Mechanical Ventilation

This paper presents research on humidity in a passenger car cabin with the use of supply ventilation without cooling the air. Based on the tests carried out and the humidity balance in the car, a model was developed for changing the humidity in the passenger car cabin as a function of time. The study of thermohumid conditions was carried out in two passenger cars. During the tests, the heating and cooling functions were turned off. The relative humidity and temperature were measured outside the car before and after driving the car and in the supply air duct and inside the passenger car cabin while driving the car. The tests were carried out for an average temperature range from 20 to 42.9 °C. In order to develop a model of humidity changes as a function of time, a humidity balance was prepared. Human-generated humidity in the car cabin depends mainly on the temperature inside the car and the age of the person and can range from 20 to 180 g/(h × person) for an adult in the temperature range of 20–43 °C, while for a child under six years old the humidity ranges from 8 to 19.5 g/(h × person) in the temperature range 22–34 °C. A formula of humidity generated by an adult and a child aged six years old was obtained as a function of temperature inside a passenger car. Based on the experimental research and the model developed, the humidity generated by a single adult and a six-year-old child in the car was determined. The developed model can be used in the automatic airflow adjustment systems in passenger cars.