Air curtain as a SARS-CoV-2 spreading mitigation method in a small aircraft cabin

This paper discusses an application of air curtain for reduction of virus-laden droplets transmission from an infected host to other passengers in a small aircraft cabin. The study is restricted to respiratory droplets emitted during coughing. Discrete Particle Method introduced for violent respiratory events (VRE) captured in detail the movement of coughing puff inside the cabin and allowed to study the interaction of droplets with the air curtain's stream and the surrounding air. The results show that the application of the air curtain inhibits the transmission process of small droplets (diameters ranging from 10 to 40 mu m). The air curtain supplied with a limited air mass flow cannot alter the multiphase puff dynamics, but it can be utilized to deflect the virus droplets with lower momentum away from the neighboring passenger. Improved removal efficiency of virus-laden droplets has been achieved owing to the application of the air curtain together with supplementary suction surfaces introduced on the front seat backrest. The virus (SARS-CoV-2) transmission process was also analyzed by means of mass concentration of CO2 exhaled by the infected host, used as a contamination tracker. This part of the work aims at assessment of an applicability of CO2 tracer gas in analysis of virus transmission. Results show that CO2 tracer gas can only be employed for the study of small size droplets dispersion (diameter less or equal to 40 mu m).

Avoiding Covid-19 Using a 3D Digital Mock up and Augmented Reality with Cobot in Digital Factory

The Fourth Industrial Revolution or Industry 4.0 is extremely relevant and important in manufacturing for several reasons. Failing to adopt the technology of the Fourth Industrial Revolution can cause organizations to fall behind, as their operations are not digitized enough in benchmarking competitors. A major industry as bicycle manufacturing needs to be transformed into a digital factory in order to keep up with the evolving technology. The objectives of this research are in designing a 3D digital mock up and Augmented Reality (AR) for bicycle frame production in the form of digital factory for increasing production capability by decreasing the break-even point whilst avoiding Covid-19 contraction using Tecnomatix Plant Simulation and Unity 3D programs. This research constructed three alternative digital factory layouts that are designed by using a 3D simulation program. The risk of Covid-19 contraction points and the three layouts of cost per unit are analyzed. The results show that the break-even point of the first to the third layouts with Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) are 26,580, 26,322 and 25,354 units respectively. The result of the risk about Covid-19 contraction points from the first to the third layout with AGV are 21,272, 2,872 and 0 points respectively. This means the most appropriate layout for bicycle frame production is the third layout due to the best break-even point that can significantly avoid Covid-19 contraction. The benefit of this research is to integrate a 3D digital mock up, AR and Cobot including AGV to assist the resilience of operations with a dynamic industrial environment. © 2022 King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok. All Rights Reserved.

Didactic Model for the optimization of ventilation in rooms with the presence of CO2

This project arises from the need to contribute to the improvement of ventilation in buildings with multiple rooms. The COVID-19 pandemic forces us to look for alternatives to natural ventilation for energy savings as well as creating more comfortable work spaces without sacrificing the health of users. The mock-up presents a model of extraction ventilation. Optimizes the flow depending on the quality of the air. This work carried out at the IES Escolas Proval is part of an Innovation Project awarded in the current 2020-21 academic year with the participation of the IES Val Miñor and the company Hermes Smart Control. © 2022 IEEE.

Effect of different setups, protective screens and air supply systems on the exposure to aerosols in a mock-up restaurant

Social distancing measures to lower the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission limit seating capacity in and constrain restaurants' ability to operate in an economically sustainable way. Experiments have been conducted in a real-size mock-up of a restaurant, using different table setting and configurations of the ventilation system. The study has analysed the effects on total exposure to aerosols in different settings compared with social distancing. Ventilation rate is the most decisive factor for the total exposure. The particle removal rate is directly proportional to the ventilation rate, while total exposure decreases with higher ventilation rates. At low ventilation rate, setups with protective screens perform comparably or somewhat superior to the social distancing configuration, but effect size is much smaller than for ventilation rate and results are not always significant. Air supply system type does not have significant effect on either total exposure or exposure duration.