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A parametric study of wind chill equivalent temperatures by a dimensionless steady-state analysis
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel. mersasa@tx.technion.ac.il
International Journal of Biometeorology
|January 5, 2006
Summary
Wind chill equivalent temperatures (WCETs) are significantly influenced by calm wind conditions and environmental temperature changes. Realistic parameter selection is crucial for accurate WCET estimations, suggesting ranges over single values.
Area of Science:
- Thermodynamics
- Biophysics
Background:
- Understanding thermal behavior of body parts in cold, windy environments is critical.
- Existing models for heat transfer in hollow cylinders can be adapted for biological applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an analytical approximation for steady-state heat conduction in a hollow cylinder exposed to convective cooling.
- To model the thermal behavior of human body elements (e.g., head/face) in cold, windy conditions.
- To estimate wind chill equivalent temperatures (WCETs) using dimensionless parameters.
Main Methods:
- First-order analytical approximation of steady-state heat conduction.
- Modeling heat exchange via convection at the external surface.
- Analysis using dimensionless parameters to represent physical variables.
Main Results:
- Calm wind speed conditions are a dominant factor in determining WCET.
- A 1°C change in environmental temperature has a greater effect on skin temperature and WCET than a 1 m/s change in wind speed.
- WCETs are more sensitive to geometrical dimensions than to wind speeds.
Conclusions:
- Wind chill indices should be presented as ranges rather than single values due to sensitivity to various parameters.
- Careful and realistic selection of all parameter values is essential for accurate WCET determination.
- Factors like tissue thermal conductivity and wind direction angle have minor effects on WCET.