In this article the simulation process implemented by AnsaldoBreda for the design of HVAC systems of railway vehicles is presented.
The design of HVAC systems in this sector has to respect strict requirements due to regulations and customer requests. Since physical prototyping is only possible at the end of the project, CFD simulation is essential to drive the design of the HVAC system and to evaluate the thermal comfort in the compartments.
This methodology has to be applied from the very first steps of the design phase, when modifications are technically feasible and economically affordable. The final aim of the simulations is to verify the compliance with the design targets before the validation tests in the climate chamber.
Numerical results of thermal comfort in a Driverless Light Metro are compared to experimental data from climate chamber tests. The comparison demonstrates that numerical predictions are in good agreement with experimental data and that CFD is a reliable design tool, that gives confidence about the effectiveness of the implemented HVAC systems.
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