• Format

    Virtual Lab

  • Lab manager

    Dr. Nesreen Ghaddar
    farah@aub.edu.lb

  • Technical Assistance

    Jaafar Younes
    jiy01@mail.aub.edu

Human Thermal Response Application

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This tool is developed to simulate human physiological and psychological thermal responses across different environmental conditions and for different population groups (young adults and elderly). It accommodates various age groups using a multi-segment, multi-node heat transfer model that includes active thermoregulation mechanisms, an integrated blood circulation model, and a clothing model. The tool uses the AUB Thermal Physiology Model and adopts the Advanced Berkeley Comfort Model for prediction of thermal comfort and sensation. 
Architects, engineers, and researchers will find the tool extremely useful when assessing effectiveness of conventional climate control system or non-conventional air distribution systems that depend on local cooling/heating and non-uniform environmental conditions for attaining thermally comfortable conditions for indoor spaces or in shaded outdoor spaces. 

Key Features

  • Age-Specific Simulations: The model supports both young and elderly subjects, accounting for age-related physiological/psychological differences.
  • Customizable Clothing Configuration: Simulates thermal responses for clothed individuals with flexible, user-defined clothing configurations.
  • Multi-Segment and Multi-Node Structure: The body is represented by multiple segments and nodes for precise thermal response modeling. While capable of simulating non-uniform environments, the current version focuses on uniform conditions.
  • Steady-State and Transient Simulations: Supports simulations under steady-state conditions or up to two transient step changes in environmental parameters.
  • Thermal Sensation and Comfort: Provides localized and overall thermal sensation and comfort results for young adults, and overall thermal sensation results for the elderly.
  • Ventilated Vest Simulation: Capable of modeling the effects of wearing a ventilated vest on the subject’s thermal response.
  • Individual Segment Configuration: Allows defining the air temperature, humidity, and velocity for each segment.

Sample Problems

  • What is the thermal and physiological state of the human comfort when exposed to a uniform indoor environment of known temperature (24° C), humidity (50%) and velocity? This question can be answered for either young or older adult.
  • What is the human local and overall thermal response, when step changes in room or ambient environmental conditions are applied?
  • How effective is personalized ventilation is when a stream of cool dry air (Temperature = 22 °C and relative humidity is 50%) at velocity of 1 m/s targets the head, upper trunk and upper arms of a seated person while the remaining body segments are exposed to room conditions at 28°C? The clothing can be assumed at 0.5 Clo or can be just summer typical clothing. You can select other room environmental conditions to check the human thermal response.
  • What should be the fan flow rate of a fan-assisted vest to ensure that thermal comfort is attained for the same room conditions in question 3?

Dr. Nesreen Gaddar

Nesreen Ghaddar is Qatar Chair of Energy Studies, and professor of mechanical engineering at the American University of Beirut. She is also the Director of the Munib and Angela Masri Institute of Energy and Natural Resources at AUB. 

Dr. Jaafar Younes

Jaafar Younes is currently a postdoctoral fellow at EPFL. He earned a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Mechanical Engineering at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon in February 2025.