CFD Analysis of Air Conditioning System Enhancement for Thermal Comfort Improvement in Airport Terminals During Summer

Bijay Kishore Prasad; Atul Shanker Suman

doi:10.69968/ijisem.2026v5i2394-408

Authors

Bijay Kishore Prasad Research Scholar, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Corporate Institute of Science and Technology
Atul Shanker Suman Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Corporate Institute of Science and Technology

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.69968/ijisem.2026v5i2394-408

Keywords:

Thermal Comfort, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), Airport Terminal Ventilation, Realizable k−ε Model, Indoor Thermal Environment

Abstract

The current research examines the thermal environment and thermal comfort of a commercial zone within airport terminals under summer operating conditions through a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis. The main aim of the experiment was to assess the effects of the inlet air temperature, inlet air velocity, and ventilation design on the distribution of the airflow and passenger thermal comfort based on the Chinese national standard GB/T 50785. The commercial zone was modeled as a three dimensional computational model on CATIA V5 and numerically modeled on ANSYS Fluent. The simulations used the Realizable k−ε turbulence model, the SIMPLE pressure–velocity coupling technique, and the second-order upwind discretization scheme. Different modifications in the supply air temperature and inlet airflow velocity were used to test the five cases. The findings revealed that higher inlet airflow velocity and lowering inlet air temperature greatly enhanced airflow circulation and minimized thermal stratification within the commercial area. Case 4 had the highest thermal comfort performance and breathing zone temperatures of nearly the recommended Class I comfort range outlined by GB/T 50785. It is concluded that optimized ventilation parameters can be effectively used to improve indoor thermal comfort and ventilation performance in commercial spaces of airport terminals.

References

[1] M. Wang, H. Zhang, J. Zhang, and J. Ao, “A Study on Summer Thermal Comfort in Chongqing Riverside Parks: Based on Microclimate Measurements and Thermal Comfort Evaluation,” Sustainability, vol. 18, no. 4990, 2026.

[2] A. MOHAN, V. R, and R. DEIVENDIRAN, “THERMAL COMFORT ANALYSIS IN AN EDUCATIONAL BUILDING IN A HOT CLIMATE AREA USING CFD,” Therm. Sci., vol. 30, no. 1, pp. 275–285, 2026.

[3] H. S. Malik, W. Khalid, A. Jabbar, A. Munir, and A. Waqas, “Comparative Analysis of Thermal Comfort Surveys with CFD Simulations,” Master Conf. People Build., 2022.

[4] L. Jiang et al., “Thermal Environment and Thermal Comfort of Modern Timber Buildings: A Systematic Review,” Buildings, vol. 16, no. 1966, pp. 1–38, 2026.

[5] A. Victoria, P. Florido, M. M. Ouf, W. O. Brien, N. Cooper, and H. Awad, “Thermal Comfort and Passenger Responses in Airports,” E3S Web Conf., vol. 689, no. 06007, pp. 1–7, 2026.

[6] T. Lim and D. D. Kim, “Thermal Comfort Assessment of the Perimeter Zones by Using CFD Simulation,” Sustainability, vol. 14, 2022, doi: 10.3390/su142315647.

[7] N. B. Chien, V. T. Ngoc, N. D. Vinh, T. M. Thang, and H. H. Phung, “CFD Simulation Analysis of Thermal Comfort in a Small Office,” Evergr. - Jt. J. Nov. Carbon Resour. Sci. Green Asia Strateg., vol. 12, no. 04, pp. 2216–2222, 2025.

[8] A. Benabed and A. Boulbair, “Numerical analysis of thermal comfort and air freshness generated by a multi-cone diffuser with and without lobed inserts,” J. Build. Eng., vol. 54, 2022.

[9] X. Wang and Y. Pan, “Utilizing computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for simulating airflow and heat distribution to enhance thermal comfort in enclosed space,” J. Phys. Conf. Ser., 2025, doi: 10.1088/1742-6596/2949/1/012049.

[10] Y. H. Yau, H. S. Toh, B. T. Chew, and N. N. N. Ghazali, “A review of human thermal comfort model in predicting human–environment interaction in non‑uniform environmental conditions,” J. Therm. Anal. Calorim., vol. 147, pp. 14739–14763, 2022, doi: 10.1007/s10973-022-11585-0.

[11] A. Hedge, P. MacNaughton, M. Woo, R. Guglielmetti, and B. Tinianov, “Airport passenger experiences in concourses with either electrochromic or low-e glass windows,” Int. J. Aviat. Manag., vol. 5, no. 1, 2021.

[12] H. Huo et al., “Simulation of the Urban Space Thermal Environment Based on Computational Fluid Dynamics: A Comprehensive Review,” Sensors, vol. 21, no. 6898, pp. 1–27, 2021.

[13] M. H. Al-zuriqat and B. Obeidat, “Computational fluid dynamics – based assessment of thermal comfort parameters in residential buildings in Amman: Implications for indoor environmental quality,” J. Ecol. Eng., vol. 26, no. 5, pp. 383–400, 2025.

[14] A. L. Slimani, S. Mazouz, and S. Nekhila, “Computational Fluid Dynamics-Based Quantitative Assessment and Performance Optimization of Thermal Comfort in Hyper-Arid Climate Office Buildings,” Sustainability, vol. 17, no. 10229, pp. 1–43, 2025.

[15] R. Widiastuti, J. Zaini, M. A. Wibowo, and W. Caesarendra, “Indoor Thermal Performance Analysis of Vegetated Wall based on CFD Simulation,” CFD Lett., vol. 12, no. 5, pp. 82–90, 2020.

[16] Z. R. B. Sahari, A. S. A. Nohe, and M. S. Bin Othman, “Thermal comfort in indoor and outdoor spaces: a methodology,” Int. Multidiscip. Acad. Conf., 2025.

[17] P. Stiborova, A. Badurova, O. Sikula, and I. Skotnicova, “EVALUATION OF THERMAL COMFORT USING DYNAMIC SIMULATION: A CASE STUDY OF A KINDERGARTEN CLASSROOM IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC,” Slovak J. Civ. Eng., vol. 33, no. 3, pp. 20–28, 2025, doi: 10.2478/sjce-2025-0016.

[18] D. Lai et al., “A Comprehensive Review of Thermal Comfort Studies in Urban Open Spaces,” Sci. Total Environ., 2020.

[19] L. Wang, M. Ismail, and H. S. Basher, “Energy Efficiency and Comfort Performance of Airport Terminal Buildings: A Systematic Review,” Sci. Technol., vol. 33, no. 5, pp. 2357–2394, 2025.

[20] A. Raczkowski, Z. Suchorab, and P. Brzyski, “Computational fluid dynamics simulation of thermal comfort in naturally ventilated room,” MATEC Web Conf., vol. 252, no. 04007, pp. 1–5, 2019.

[21] M. M. Othayq, “CFD Investigation on the Thermal Comfort for an Office Room,” Buildings, vol. 15, no. 2802, pp. 1–26, 2025.

[22] J. Liu, S. Zhu, M. K. Kim, and J. Srebric, “A Review of CFD Analysis Methods for Personalized Ventilation (PV) in Indoor Built Environments,” Sustainability, vol. 11, no. 4166, pp. 5–7, 2019.

[23] J. M. Zambrano and L. Baldini, “Integrating CFD and thermoregulation models: A novel framework for thermal comfort analysis of non-uniform indoor environments,” Energy Build., vol. 335, 2025.

[24] S. Hossain, A. Abduhu, and S. E. Shad, “An Investigation of Thermal Comfort by Autodesk CFD Simulation at Indoor Living Space in Urban Residential Building in Monsoon Climate,” Int. J. Adv. Res. Publ., vol. 3, no. 6, 2019.

[25] A. M. Hanafi, T. A. Abdo, N. A. Abbass, Y. M. Diab, M. G. Abdelfatah, and M. A. Ibrahim, “Optimizing Thermal Comfort and Air Quality in University Classrooms: A CFD- Based Comparative Analysis of HVAC Configurations,” Int. J. Eng. Appl. Sci., vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 17–31, 2025.

[26] C. Buratti, D. Palladino, and E. Moretti, “Prediction Of Indoor Conditions And Thermal Comfort Using CFD Simulations: A Study Based On Experimental Data,” Energy Procedia, vol. 126, no. 201709, pp. 115–122, 2017, doi: 10.1016/j.egypro.2017.08.130.

[27] Y. Xia, T. Xu, C. Shi, L. Tian, T. Zhang, and H. Fukuda, “Research on indoor thermal comfort of traditional dwellings in Northeast Sichuan based on the thermal comfort evaluation model and EnergyPlus,” Energy Reports, vol. 12, pp. 5234–5248, 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.egyr.2024.11.012.

[28] L. Yang, Z. Chen, and M. Zhen, “Effects of thermal-acoustic interaction on airport terminal’s indoor thermal comfort: A case study in cold region of China,” J. Build. Eng., vol. 86, p. 108834, 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.jobe.2024.108834.

[29] Azmatullah, B. Suresh, and S. Singh, “Examine Thermal Comfort Inside The Indoor Swimming Pool Through Various Configuration of Inlet and Outlet Vents,” Int. J. Innov. Sci. Eng. Manag., vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 46–55, 2025, doi: 10.69968/ijisem.2025v4i146-55.

[30] Y. Kang, H. Yuk, H. H. Jo, and S. Kim, “Indoor thermal environment assessment of a historic building for a thermal and energy retrofit scenario using a CFD model,” Case Stud. Therm. Eng., vol. 63, 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.csite.2024.105330.

[31] A. Chourey, P. K. Verma, and P. Shrivastava, “Thermal Comfort Analysis in Dormitory Room by Combined MVHR-Fan Coil,” Int. J. Innov. Sci. Eng. Manag., vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 351–363, 2025, doi: 10.69968/ijisem.2025v4i3351-363.

[32] S. Ur, R. Chaudhary, H. Medha, A. Haque, and A. Mahmood, “A Comprehensive Literature Study on Thermal Comfort,” Int. J. Res. Publ. Rev., vol. 5, no. 11, pp. 4624–4629, 2024.

[33] M. K. Akyüz, E. Açıkkalp, and Ö. Altunta¸, “Thermal Performance, Indoor Air Quality, and Carbon Footprint Assessment in Airport Terminal Buildings,” Buildings, vol. 14, no. 3957, 2024.

[34] K. Ratajczak, Ł. Amanowicz, K. Pałaszynska, F. Pawlak, and J. Sinacka, “Recent Achievements in Research on Thermal Comfort and Ventilation in the Aspect of Providing People with Appropriate Conditions in Different Types of Buildings—Semi-Systematic Review,” Energies, vol. 16, no. 6254, 2023.

[35] T. S. Rajput and A. Thomas, “Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) based spatial mapping of indoor air quality and thermal comfort in the indoor environment,” Int. Build. Perform. Simul. Assoc., 2023.