New Delhi: Using advanced air-flow simulation tools on super computers, scientists have analysed an outbreak of the novel coronavirus at a restaurant in China, findings that reveal how ventilation and air conditioning influence airborne virus transmission risk.
The study, published in the journal Physics of Fluids, analysed the complex flows that occur when cold airflow from air conditioners interacts with the hot plume from a dining table, and the transport of virus-laden particles within such flows.
“Our simulation captures various physical factors, including turbulent air flow, thermal effect, aerosol transport in turbulence, limited filtration efficiency of air conditioners, as well as the complex geometry of the space, all of which play a role in airborne transmission,” explained study co-author Jiarong Hong from the University of Minnesota in the US.
While several studies over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic have used computer simulations to assess the…