Analysis of Misting Phenomenon in a Car

자동차 내부의 김 서림 현상에 관한 연구

The mist on the inside of an automobile windshield is not only uncomfortable but also very dangerous because it obstructs the driver's vision. However, the removal process of the mist has never been studied in detail. This study performed experiments analyzing the mechanism causes the mist in a car and investigated the appropriate removal process. The experiments were performed on two rainy days, 10 April 2006 and 26 May 2006, with temperature and relative humidity sensors of testo-175-H2 and DICKSON-TK500. We found a passenger increased water vapor by 0.2 g $min^{-1}$ through respiration and thereby relative humidity (RH) from 55% to 67% in 8 minutes. Even though RH was not saturated, misting occurred because the humid air contacted the colder surface of the window. To remove the mist, it is necessary to increase the temperature or inflow drier air in the car. Therefore, we expected that the heater would be more effective than air conditioner for this matter. However, the outcome was the other way around due to the structure of the heating and cooling system in the car. When the air-conditioner was on, colder and drier air was generated and flowed through the so-called evaporator. Droplets were produced in the evaporator due to cooling procedure. When the heater was on, the warm air evaporated the droplets and increased the water content in the air resulting in an increase of relative humidity. Consequently, the air conditioner is more effective than the heater to remove the mist.