Thermal Comfort Design for a Mining Dumper Cabin

Thermal comfort is one of the main issues in vehicles including a mining dumper. Since, these vehicles are operating in a dusty and hot environment, cabin temperature in such vehicles are much higher than in normal vehicles. This project is an attempt at improving the cabin environment and thermal comfort, without resorting to expensive HVAC systems. As seen from the results, it is possible to lower the peak temperature by providing natural ventilation system combined with air filters. Improved comfort level will help the driver as well as the co-driver to operate for longer distances. In this project work, the BH100 dumper cabin model has been selected for improvement. The geometrical model was created in CATIA V5 tool. The inlet and outlet vents position and the air filter was decided in such a way that it protects the cabin from dust while providing circulation. These modifications were evaluated with standard CFD tool set HYPERMESH, GAMBIT and FLUENT. Air flow and temperature distribution contours inside the cabin are presented for un-changed baseline model. Several concepts were arrived at and evaluated for impact on cabin environment and these are presented in the thesis