Airflow and thermal management in farm tractor cab

In order to provide fresh air for the operator and proper pressurization against ingress of contaminants and dust, farm tractor cab must have ventilation system that forces filtered outside air into the cab. In the hot conditions, outside air is passed through the evaporator where the heat and moisture must be removed, which can be between 40 and 70% of total heat load. Consequently, there are several contradictory demands on the tractor cab's air-conditioning system. It is necessary to obtain good air quality and comfort environment keeping the power consumption as low as possible. In the same time, the air-conditioning system should be neither too complex nor too large. In this paper, qualitative and quantitative analysis of tractor cab's air-conditioning system were carried out. The results are compared in terms of power consumption and air quality and guidelines for efficient cab air-conditioning system design are given.