Modelling the Sauna

Components

Elements of the sauna include

• Fire
• Stove
• Air temperature
• Air humidity
• Walls and furniture of the room
• Floor of the sauna
• Air outside (both temperature and humidity)
• Mass of water on stove
• Temperature of water on stove

There are many other possible variables to consider, such as the effect of adding a water heater.

Boundary Conditions

One way to make the system simpiler to deal with is to assume a constant value for some components of the system, and to drive some components with functions. In the default scenario:

• Floor of sauna is assumed to be 50 °F
• Outside temperature is assumed to be 50 °F
• Outside relative humidity is 30%
• The fire grows to a maximum temperature of 1000°F and a radius of .3 meters

Some visualizations

The stove is very hot, with a large thermal mass, in the middle of the room.

The room itself, the wood inside it, also gathers a lot of heat.