Theseus-FE is a finite element based solver for determining thermal comfort, which makes it possible to determine the conditions in rooms or environments based on heat flow (convection), heat conduction (conduction) and heat radiation, taking into account relative humidity and mass flows. It can also be used to evaluate comfort using an officially valid comfort index. To assess the effects of the prevailing climate in a room or environment on humans, a virtual human model has been implemented in Theseus-FE, enabling these external influences on the human body to be evaluated and visualized. To validate the virtual results in real experiments and tests, the Theseus-FE comfort software is supplemented by a physical measuring dummy, which can be placed or laid in rooms and environments in the form of an HVAC dummy to record the actual conditions in terms of temperature, relative humidity, wind speeds and direction, as well as short- and long-wave radiation. It then evaluates the comfort level according to established standards and compares it with the simulation. This method enables optimizations to be made to the comfort system at an early stage of development, thereby increasing efficiency in the development process by shortening development times and reducing development costs.

Booth 1976