ICON has employed state of the art CFD methods for aircraft and automotive heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems simulation. Mixing and recirculation systems are investigated as well as cabin air flow patterns. CFD is able to help improve passenger comfort in cabins by predicting a number of important parameters such as:

• Velocity field / maximum velocity at passenger
• Temperature field / temperature gradient around passenger
• Humidity
• Age of Air / Air change effectiveness
• Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) / Predicted Percentage of Dissatisfied (PPD)
• Pollutant spread / removal

Furthermore, aircraft cargo holds have been investigated with respect to:

• Flow field / Air change effectiveness
• Fire and smoke detection
• Pollutant spread / removal

Modern optimisation methods are increasingly employed to improve performance of mixing and recirculation systems as well as the design of air distribution devices and will soon be an integral component for cabin ventilation prediction.