Estimating human thermal sensation regarding inhomogeneous indoor environments using local energy balance equations: A new approach

The paper contains a short overview on important thermal sensation/comfort models followed by an introduction of a new comfort model approach for the estimation of local and global thermal sensation/comfort. The model transfers Fanger´s (Fanger, 1970) idea of calculating the body´s energy balance on a global scale to local body segments. To be able to consider heat exchange between the human body and contacting surfaces, the original Fanger equations are extended by a heat conduction expression. The verification of the model´s energy balances is introduced followed by an investigation on the predictive power of global thermal sensation. At the present state, the results show the general applicability of the model approach. Finally, an outlook on necessary parameterization and validation steps is given.