An experimental study of bioaerosol (1-10 μm) deposition in a ventilated chamber

A. C.K. Lai, Ling Tim Wong, Kwok Wai Mui, W. Y. Chan, H. C. Yu

Research output: Journal article publicationJournal articleAcademic researchpeer-review

15 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Understanding of bioaerosols deposition in ventilated environments can significantly improve our current knowledge on exposure. This study presents an experimental and numerical analysis for bioaerosol deposition in a scaled ventilation chamber. Three different group sizes of common indoor airborne bioaersols ranging from 1 to 10 μm, (Micrococcus luteus, Staphylococcus aureus), (Aspergillus niger, Penicillium citrinum) and (Rhizopus sp.), were atomized and injected to a small chamber with three controllable ventilation flow rates varying from 1.7 h-1to 18.8 h-1. Twenty-eight (7 × 4) Petri dishes were placed at the bottom of the chamber and deposition was counted after inoculation. A commercial computational fluid dynamics tool was used to predict bioaerosol deposition. The results were compared with experiments and satisfactory agreements between them were observed. The results reveal that the larger the aerosol size, the shorter the deposition distance away from the inlet. The comparisons are further improved if non-spherical shape factor is considered.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)118-126
Number of pages9
JournalBuilding and Environment
Volume56
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Oct 2012

Keywords

  • 1-10 μm bioaerosol deposition
  • Controllable ventilation flow rates
  • Experimental and numerical analysis
  • Scaled ventilation chamber

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Environmental Engineering
  • Civil and Structural Engineering
  • Geography, Planning and Development
  • Building and Construction

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