Interactions of Aerosol Droplets With Ventilated Airflows in the Context of Airborne Pathogen Transmission

Abstract

This multidisciplinary study provides a comprehensive visualization of airborne aerosols and droplets coming into contact with crossflows of moving air utilizing both experimental particle measuring methods and multiphase computational fluids dynamics (CFD). The aim of this research is to provide a Eulerian visualization of how these crossflows alter the position and density of an aerosol cloud, with the goal of applying this information to our understanding of social distancing ranges within outdoor settings and ventilated rooms. The results indicate that even minor perpendicular crossflows across the trajectory of an aerosol cloud can greatly reduce both the linear displacement and density of the cloud, with negligible increases in density along the flow path.