Characteristics of aerosol dispersion in isolation wards under mixing and perforated ceiling air supplying ventilation

The effects of the mixing ventilation (MV) and perforated ceiling air supplying ventilation (PCV) strategies on airflow field and aerosol dispersion in a typical isolated ward were numerically investigated．The influence of the aerosol particle size and the porosity of perforated plate on the aerosol distribution in the PCV case were further discussed．The experimental data in the literature was used to validate the accuracy of the numerical models．Simulation results show that compared with the MV case，PCV results in a more uniform flow field and temperature field in the ward，and can increase the discharge speed of aerosol particles，which can effectively reduce the risk of cross-infection among medical staff；small-sized aerosol particles are more likely to be affected by the flow field and diffuse and suspend in the ward，while large-sized aerosol particles are more likely to be deposited on the ground and hospital beds；when using orifice plate ventilation，reducing the opening rate can accelerate the deposition and discharge of aerosol particles，reduce the suspension of particles in the ward，and reduce the risk of virus infection in the air． © 2022 Huazhong University of Science and Technology. All rights reserved.