Evaluating the Effects of Individual Characteristics on Thermal Sensation in an Indoor Pool with Different Arrangements for Inlet Air Diffusers

In the indoor swimming pools, due to the presence of people with different individual characteristics, it is important to design an air conditioning system which can provide thermal comfort conditions for the occupants. Since the differences in the persons’ individual parameters such as gender and body composition, it is required to study the effect of these parameters on the thermal comfort in swimming pools. On the other hand, the location of the air inlet diffuser is one of the effective factors affecting the thermal comfort conditions. In this study, by using the individual 3-node thermal comfort model, the effect of individual parameters on the thermal sensation of people in an indoor swimming pool has been evaluated. The results show that women are more sensitive than men to the cold conditions. In addition, it can be seen that BMI has a significant impact on people thermal sensation. So, thin people are colder thermal sensation than those with healthy physical fitness, and overweight people have a warmer sensation. Based on the results, with the change in body mass index, the index of the thermal sensation can change up to 0.4 units. This is very important in the evaluation of thermal comfort.