Evaluating different control modes for the gasper system in an economy-class aircraft cabin with personalized displacement ventilation

Abstract

Maintaining both thermal comfort and air quality in aircraft cabins is essential for air passengers and crew members. The gasper system, widely used to provide personalized ventilation, plays a major role in regulating individual thermal comfort and potentially influencing contaminant transport. However, these two aspects have been addressed separately in existing studies. Whether it is feasible for a control mode to simultaneously mitigate airborne infection risk while maintaining thermal comfort remains unclear. To address the knowledge gap, this study first conducted experimental measurements in a three-row, single-aisle aircraft cabin mock-up with personalized displacement ventilation. The obtained experimental data was then used to validate a CFD model. Subsequently, the validated CFD model was employed to simulate different gasper control modes in a seven-row section of a single-aisle, fully occupied, economy-class aircraft cabin with personalized displacement ventilation. Three gasper control modes were considered: a no-control mode, full control of engaged gaspers, and partial control of engaged gaspers. The results show that under full control of engaged gaspers, the number of relatively high-risk passengers was reduced by at least 79% compared to the no-control mode. However, the gasper operations significantly differed from passengers' preferences under the no-control mode. Partial control of engaged gaspers also achieved meaningful risk reduction, reaching at least 66%. Meanwhile, it maintained the comfort preferences of most passengers. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of the partial-control mode in achieving both airborne infection mitigation and comfort preference maintenance in real-life cabin environments.