Optimization of air supply parameters for stratum ventilation based on proper orthogonal decomposition

Implemented indoor airborne transmission mitigation strategies during COVID-19: a systematic review

The COVID-19 pandemic has inflicted major economic and health burdens across the world. On the other hand, the potential airborne transmission of SARS-COV-2 via air can deeply undermine the effectiveness of countermeasures against spreading the disease. Therefore, there is an intense focus to look for ways to mitigate the COVID-19 spread within various indoor settings. This work systematically reviewed articles regarding airborne transmission of SARS-COV2 in various indoor settings since the onset of the pandemic. The systematic search was performed in Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed databases and has returned 19 original articles carefully screened with regard to inclusion and exclusion criteria. The results showed that the facilities, such as dormitories and classrooms, received the most attention followed by office buildings, healthcare facilities, residential buildings, and other potential enclosed spaces such as a metro wagon. Besides, the majority of the studies were conducted experimentally while other studies were done using computer simulations. United States (n = 5), Spain (n = 4) and China (n = 3) were the top three countries based on the number of performed research. Ventilation rate was the most influential parameter in controlling the infection spread. CO₂ was the primary reference for viral spread in the buildings. The use of natural ventilation or a combination of mechanical and natural ventilations was found to be highly effective in the studies. The current work helps in furthering research on effective interventions to improve indoor air quality and control the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases.

Supplementary information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40201-023-00847-0.

Development of a non-contact mobile screening center for infectious diseases: Effects of ventilation improvement on aerosol transmission prevention

Under the global landscape of the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, the number of individuals who need to be tested for COVID-19 through screening centers is increasing. However, the risk of viral infection during the screening process remains significant. To limit cross-infection in screening centers, a non-contact mobile screening center (NCMSC) that uses negative pressure booths to improve ventilation and enable safe, fast, and convenient COVID-19 testing is developed. This study investigates aerosol transmission and ventilation control for eliminating cross-infection and for rapid virus removal from the indoor space using numerical analysis and experimental measurements. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were used to evaluate the ventilation rate, pressure differential between spaces, and virus particle removal efficiency in NCMSC. We also characterized the airflow dynamics of NCMSC that is currently being piloted using particle image velocimetry (PIV). Moreover, design optimization was performed based on the air change rates and the ratio of supply air (SA) to exhaust air (EA). Three ventilation strategies for preventing viral transmission were tested. Based on the results of this study, standards for the installation and operation of a screening center for infectious diseases are proposed.