Predicting human geometry-related factors for detailed radiation analysis in indoor spaces

In this study, formulae for predicting projected area factors and view factors of individual body parts of standing and sedentary humans for detailed radiation analysis were developed. For this purpose, detailed geometry models of the human body were generated representing an average subject with a height of 1.75 m and a DuBois’ area of 1.83 m2. Thermal analysis software incorporating advanced, voxel-based ray tracing techniques and regression analysis were deployed to model the local projected area factors of humans exposed to direct and diffuse solar radiation. A method was developed to predict view factors of individual body parts based on the projected area factor calculations. This technique makes it possible to predict view factors between individual body parts and surrounding surfaces for almost any arbitrary geometrical configurations of the radiation envelope. The predicted view factors were validated and showed good agreement with experimental data available in the literature.