Research on Human Thermal Comfort in Kitchen Spaces Based on Skin Temperature

This study investigates occupants' thermal comfort and perception variations in residential kitchens by analyzing environmental data and thermal demands. A climate chamber simulated kitchen environments with 20 participants exposed to three temperature conditions (20℃, 24℃, 28℃). During cooking, maximum relative humidity reached 87.3% RH. Subjective thermal sensation votes (TSV) and localized skin temperatures revealed significant correlations, with Pearson coefficients of 0.860 (arm), 0.607 (chest), 0.719 (thigh), and 0.867 (calf). Preferred skin temperatures based on thermal expectations were identified: upper arm (30.82℃), chest (32.56℃), thigh (31.45℃), calf (30.23℃). Experiments demonstrated thermal sensation overshoot during step changes: transitioning from lower to higher temperatures and back heightened cold sensitivity compared to initial states. Cooking scenarios showed a thermal neutral temperature (Ta) of 20.9℃, with neutral (18.5~3.3℃) and comfort (22.2~27.9℃) ranges indicating preference for warmer environments. While no significant gender differences in mean skin temperature (MTsk) occurred under extreme temperatures, females exhibited significantly higher MTsk at 24℃ and earlier MTsk elevation with rising ambient temperatures. This research provides critical insights for personalized thermal comfort regulation in kitchens through localized skin temperature monitoring, offering physiological evidence for optimizing thermal environment control systems.