Numerical simulation of aerosol particles distribution in a classroom

Abstract

This chapter studies the concentration distribution and particle tracks of students talking continuously in a classroom with two air distribution methods, including mixing ventilation (MV) and displacement ventilation (DV) using CFD simulations. The classroom is occupied by 10 students with a seating arrangement of 5 rows and 2 columns. RNG k-s model is used to simulate the velocity field and temperature field, and the Lagrange method is used to deal with the particles. The simulation results indicated that the DV could remove the respiratory aerosol droplets and minimize the risk of infections effectively compared with MV. Under the same concentration threshold, the contaminant spread farther, when the flow field is weak Furthermore, high particle-releasing velocity would make the contaminant stay in the classroom for a long time. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014.