Implementation of Ceiling Fin to Prevent the Spread of Airborne Pathogens by Buoyancy Effect

Abstract

Physical barriers such as partitions can reduce airborne infection by preventing aerosol or droplets exhaled by one person from entering the breathing zone of another. However, if buoyancy effect occurred in a natural room, airborne pathogens rise vertically and spread horizontally. So, this study suggested ceiling fin system to prevent the spread of airborne pathogens due to buoyancy effect and investigated the effect of the ceiling fins in preventing the spread of airborne pathogens by STAR-CCM+ (computational fluid dynamics software). As the results of the study, the ceiling fins prevented the airflow recirculation around the ceiling. Also, implementation of ceiling fins reduced airborne pathogen concentrations (passive scalar concentrations of the simulation model) not only at breathing zone but also in the entire room by 14% and 11.7% respectively. These results indicate that implement of the ceiling fins to delay in spread and mixing of airborne pathogens in a room.