Analysis of the spread of cough droplets and body deposition fraction in the smart classroom in different seasons

ABSTRACT

Smart classrooms are a relatively confined public space for college students. SARS-COV-2 and other respiratory viruses have been shown to pose a more significant threat to human health in relatively confined spaces. Using numerical simulation method to simulate the transmission and concentration distribution of virus-carrying droplets in smart classrooms in three different seasons (summer, winter, transitional seasons spring and autumn). The Realizable k-ε model is used to simulate the airflow pattern in the smart classroom, and the Lagrangian method is used to simulate the transmission of droplets. The transmission process of droplets produced from the teacher standing on the platform and the student sitting on the seat is studied. The influence of three kinds of outdoor temperature on droplet transmission and the body deposition fraction of people in the smart classroom is analyzed. The results show that droplet transmission speed is maximum at the temperature of 5 degrees when the outdoor temperature is 5 °C, 20 °C, and 35 °C respectively. At 10 s, the transmission distance of droplets increases by 9.55% compared with that at 20 °C and 10.31% compared with that at 35 °C. In addition, the body deposition fraction is also affected by the location of the vent, with downwind contact being 6 times more likely than upwind contact. The research results can provide suggestions and measures for epidemic prevention and control in smart classrooms.