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A numerical tool for assessing human thermal safety and thermal comfort in cold-weather activities

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Abstract

This paper describes a newly developed software tool to evaluate human thermal safety and thermal comfort in cold-weather activities aimed at guiding users to arrange activity plans and select appropriate clothing ensembles. The software inputs include conditions of activity, environment, human body, and clothing ensemble. It outputs physiological temperatures, cold injury risks, thermal sensations, and thermal comforts in intuitive ways like cloud maps and curves. The software tool is characterized by (1) integration of a thermoregulatory model that predicts human thermophysiological responses under exercise conditions in cold environments, (2) the functions of clothing ensemble database and individual parameter database, (3) the human centric outputs that directly reflect human physiological and mental status, and (4) the user-friendly operation interface and output interface, as well as a wide applicability. The software is validated with human test studies covering ambient temperatures from − 30.6 to 5 °C, clothing ensembles from 1.34 to 3.20 clo, and activity intensities from 2 to 9 Mets. The average prediction RMSEs of core temperature, mean skin temperature, thermal sensation, and thermal comfort are 0.16 °C, 0.45 °C, 0.58, and 1.41, respectively. The software is an advanced expansion to current standards and guidance of cold exposure assessment and a meaningful tool for the fields of occupational health care, cold protection, and environmental ergonomics.

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Abbreviations

\(Adu\) :

Segment surface area (m2)

\(Bl\) :

Heat exchange: blood perfusion (W)

\({Bl}_{adj}\) :

Heat exchange: blood flow entering and leaving the local vessel (W)

\({B}_{AVA}\) :

Heat exchange: AVA blood flow (W)

\(Cap\) :

Heat capacity (Wh·℃−1)

\(c\) :

Correction coefficient for resultant water vapor resistance and thermal insulation

\(cor\) :

Correction coefficient for resultant basal metabolic rate and blood flow

\(D\) :

Heat exchange: conduction (W)

\({E}_{mec}\) :

Mechanical energy generation (W)

\({E}_{sk}\) :

Skin latent heat loss (W)

\(H\) :

Heat exchange: convection (W)

\(I\) :

Thermal insulation (℃·m2·W−1)

\({I}_{r}\) :

Resultant thermal insulation (℃·m2·W−1)

\(M\) :

Total metabolic rate (W)

\(P\) :

Water vapor pressure (Pa)

\(Q\) :

Heat production (W)

\({Q}_{b}\) :

Basal metabolic heat production (W)

\({Qs}_{sk}\) :

Skin sensible heat loss (W)

\({R}_{e}\) :

Water vapor resistance (Pa·m2·W−1)

\({R}_{e,r}\) :

Resultant water vapor resistance (Pa·m2·W−1)

RES :

Heat loss: respiration (W)

T :

Temperature (℃)

T0:

Setpoint temperature (℃)

t :

Time (h)

va :

Air speed (m·s−1)

vw :

Movement speed (m·s−1)

\({\eta }_{net}\) :

Net exercise efficiency

\(a\) :

Air

\(ar\) :

Artery

\(cb\) :

Central blood pool

\(cr\) :

Core

\([i]\) :

Node number or segment number

\(sk\) :

Skin

\(sve\) :

Superficial vein

\(ve\) :

Vein

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 52074163), National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2019YFF0302101), Science Foundation for Distinguished Young Scholars of Anhui Province, China (Grant No. 1908085J22), and Anhui Research Institute of China Engineering Science and Technology Development Strategy. The authors are deeply grateful to the supports.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Public Safety Research, Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China

    Feiyu Chen, Shifei Shen & Wenguo Weng

  2. Hefei Institute for Public Safety Research, Tsinghua University, Hefei, 230601, Anhui Province, China

    Ming Fu & Yayun Li

  3. Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Human Safety, Hefei, 230601, Anhui Province, China

    Ming Fu & Yayun Li

  4. College of Safety Science and Engineering, Xi’an University of Science and Technology, Xi’an, 710054, China

    Jie Yang

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  1. Feiyu Chen
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Correspondence to Ming Fu or Shifei Shen.

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Chen, F., Fu, M., Li, Y. et al. A numerical tool for assessing human thermal safety and thermal comfort in cold-weather activities. Int J Biometeorol 67, 377–388 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-022-02416-w

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