Article in The Economist: Condensation in aircraft (from passenger perspiration)
Jun 19, 2001, 7:04 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Dallas,Texas,USA, AA Gold, former CO Silver
Posts: 472
Article in The Economist: Condensation in aircraft (from passenger perspiration)
I subscribe to The Economist and consider it to be an excellent publication. Here is the first paragraph of an article in this week's issue (June 16th-22nd) titled "The rain in planes: Jetliners suffer from too much moisture and their passengers from too little".
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Since people are made largely of water, transporting 350 of them thousands of kilometers through the air in a metal canister is a sweaty business. On average, each person on board a commercial airliner gives off 100ml of moisture every hour. This means that a jumbo collects some 600 litres during a 17-hour transpacific flight, much of it as condensation in the gap between the cold outer skin of the aircraft and the insulated cabin wall. Meanwhile the people who have sweated off this moisture are being tortured by a cabin atmosphere that is too dry. Its relative humidity is around 20%. Comfort demands a figure nearer 40%.
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[100ml is about one-half cup]
This makes an excellent case for drinking lots of water and staying away from alcohol.
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Since people are made largely of water, transporting 350 of them thousands of kilometers through the air in a metal canister is a sweaty business. On average, each person on board a commercial airliner gives off 100ml of moisture every hour. This means that a jumbo collects some 600 litres during a 17-hour transpacific flight, much of it as condensation in the gap between the cold outer skin of the aircraft and the insulated cabin wall. Meanwhile the people who have sweated off this moisture are being tortured by a cabin atmosphere that is too dry. Its relative humidity is around 20%. Comfort demands a figure nearer 40%.
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[100ml is about one-half cup]
This makes an excellent case for drinking lots of water and staying away from alcohol.
Jun 20, 2001, 4:50 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Dallas,Texas,USA, AA Gold, former CO Silver
Posts: 472
I haven't been drenched, but the article also includes the following:
... condensation in the gap between cabin and hull can be lethal. This gap contains much of an aircraft's wiring and water can damage the wiring's insulation. Such a problem is thought to have contributed to the loss of a Swissair DC-11 of the Atlantic coast of America a few years ago. Too much condensation causes other difficulties, as well. There have been cases when ice has built up inside the tailplanes of aircraft, causing their rudders to freeze, and thus preventing the pilots from steering them.
... condensation in the gap between cabin and hull can be lethal. This gap contains much of an aircraft's wiring and water can damage the wiring's insulation. Such a problem is thought to have contributed to the loss of a Swissair DC-11 of the Atlantic coast of America a few years ago. Too much condensation causes other difficulties, as well. There have been cases when ice has built up inside the tailplanes of aircraft, causing their rudders to freeze, and thus preventing the pilots from steering them.
Jun 20, 2001, 6:18 pm
#4
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: AA Plt 2-million miler
Posts: 4,258
I boarded the first class cabin of an AA flight between Barbados and JFK about five years ago and found a virtual cascade of rain falling from the air conditioning system into my seat. A stack of paper towels helped dry my seat. Fortunately, the source of the moisture dried up as soon as we taxied toward the runway.