Prediction of Air Purifier Effectiveness for Eliminating Exhaled Droplets in a Confined Room
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: High-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter purifiers are a recommended method for eliminating respiratory airborne droplets. In this study, the movement of airborne droplets exhaled by occupants in an unventilated, two-bed dormitory room with an air purifier was simulated using computational fluid dynamics. The air was modeled using an Eulerian scheme while the droplets were modeled using a Lagrangian method. The airborne droplet number, the rate at which droplets are removed, and the rate at which droplets accumulate were calculated. A larger HEPA flow rate increased the droplet removal efficiency, with most of the droplets settling on boundary surfaces. Of particular note, the air purifier location within the room had a significant impact on reducing the droplet exchange between two occupants and improving the droplet elimination efficiency.
Source: Processes
DOI: 10.3390/pr12091917
Institutions: Purdue University West Lafayette, AbbVie (Germany)
Language: English
Subfield: Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,728
OpenAlex ID: W4402311934