A Numerical Modelling Approach to Study the Impact of Ventilation Configurations on Airborne Transmission in Indoor Environments

The airborne transmission of COVID-19 has been a topic of significant controversy since the pandemic began. Research was needed to demonstrate the importance of airborne transmission and develop tools to recommend appropriate control measures. This study aimed to analyze the factors that impact airborne transmission, find techniques for infection risk minimization, and develop methods to compare different control measures on infection risk. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) studies were conducted to analyze the impact of ventilation layout and infection source location in indoor spaces. A novel spatio-temporal risk model was further developed to quantify the risk in indoor spaces based on different control measures. Conclusions have been made that the ventilation layout and infection source locations can significantly impact the risk of airborne transmitted infection. Further research into building design and airborne transmission minimization techniques is urgently needed to prepare for airborne infectious diseases that may emerge in the future.