Experimental testing of the vehicle heating system

An important problem in the design of machinery and equipment at the stage of determining their structure is the issue of providing adequate thermal comfort to users while operating in variable climatic and environmental conditions. This issue is of particular importance because all types of machinery and devices are equipped with very expensive and automated control and monitoring system, which should guarantee adequate warming conditions and should work under different climatic conditions. Examples of these tendencies are special solutions for vibroacoustic insulation of the inside of the devices, special air conditioning equipment, special constructions, ergonomic inside solutions. The process of shaping the discussed structural design of vehicles in terms of meeting the relevant technical and operational criteria is currently being increasingly realized through experimental tests of prototypes supported by numerical calculations. The purpose of this paper is to present the methodology of conducting test stand as a stage for the experimental determination and verification of temperature distribution, the location of heating and air conditioning devices in a prototype vehicle in variable climatic conditions (minus 15º C). The research was carried out in a large-scale climate chamber. It covered the process of heating up the passenger area of the bus and the time of temperature stabilization on the inside of the vehicle while operating the heating systems. An additional attempt was made to test the heating system while the vehicle was in motion and to open the vehicle door to simulate the stopping of the vehicle at the bus stop. Another aspect that was analysed was the impact of the installed convector on the vehicle when the liquid heater was off