Simulations show how coronavirus aerosol spreads in confined spaces
Simulations show how coronavirus aerosol spreads in confined spaces lead image
Understanding the transmission in crowded enclosed spaces of the coronavirus is crucial for preventing the spread of the COVID-19 illness and proposing new public health guidelines.
A computational study by Peng, Chow and Liu demonstrates the spread of the coronavirus within a simulated elevator cabin is significantly influenced by different human respiratory events, such as breathing, sneezing and coughing, as well as the location of passengers within the cabin and ventilation air currents.
The researchers show sneezers spread infectious particles over cabin walls and whomever is standing in front of them, while breathing leaves particles suspended in the air before settling onto others. Coughing ensures particles that can cause COVID-19 are slowly deposited onto every surface and passenger. All three scenarios illustrate that fellow cabin passengers are likely to be infected.
“The motions of both large and small air particles ejected from the head of an infected passenger are affected by the ventilation air currents,” said co-author Kwok Wing Chow. “The numerical simulations show that the risk of infection can be reduced with an optimal ventilation design.”
The simulations show a combination of vent models, including ceiling and sidewall vents, reduces the number of suspended particles carrying COVID-19 by around 80% compared to conventional ceiling vent layouts. This proposed vent model enhances air purification regardless of infectious passenger location, highlighting the importance of proper ventilation systems in reducing the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The researchers hope their findings will be applied to in-person experiments and other confined spaces.
“This is an everyday experience for urban residents and understanding how SARS-CoV-2 spreads in indoor environments can provide useful guidelines for staying healthy in our daily life,” said Chow.
Source: “Computational study on the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus through aerosol in an elevator cabin: Effect of the ventilation system,” by Ningning Peng, Kwok Wing Chow, and Chun-Ho Liu. Physics of Fluids (2021). The article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0068244 .
This paper is part of the Flow and the Virus Collection, learn more here .
