Investigation of aerosol penetration through individual protective equipment in elevated wind conditions

Abstract

Amethodology to characterize particle penetration characteristics of individual protective equipment (IPE) under elevated wind conditions was developed. Performance of a complete IPE system can be determined from the knowledge of the performance characteristics of the IPE subsystems, or components. Here, particle penetration characteristics of a cylindrical-shaped component, consisting of an outer fabric sleeve enclosing an inner appendage, were studied as a function of particle size and ambient wind conditions. A component particle penetration model was developed by combining a potential flow model to calculate flow through and around a component with a filtration model. The filtration model combines classical filtration theory with simple bench-top experiments to determine net particle penetration. The component model predictions of particle penetration through a cylindrical component suggest that its filtration performance is strongly dependent on particle size and ambient wind velocities. To test model predictions, wind-tunnel experiments were conducted over an ambient wind velocity range of 10-80 mph (5-40 m s -1) and particle diameter range of 10 nm to 2 μm. The experimental results validated model predictions of particle penetration through a cylindrical component. The component model can be extended to model the integrated IPE system considering it to be composed of a combination of cylindrical components. Copyright © American Association for Aerosol Research.