| Title |
Study on the Prevention of the Spread of Airborne Pathogen with CFD Simulation and Experiments of Tracer Gas in Outpatient Departments of Medical Facility |
| Authors |
방종일(Bang, Jong-Il) ; 성민기(Sung, Minki) |
| DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5659/JAIK.2023.39.10.187 |
| Keywords |
COVID-19; Outpatient Department; Medical Facilities; Airborne Infection; CFD(Computational Fluid Dynamics); Tracer Gas |
| Abstract |
In KOREA, since the COVID-19 Pandemic, medical facilities have been strictly controlled for the purpose of controlling infectious diseases
by revising the medical law. However, there is a need to examine the possibility of control and prevention of airborne infectious diseases at
medical facilities actually operated. In this study, SF6 (Sulfur hexafluoride) tracer gas experiments were conducted to observe the spread of
airborne infections in the outpatient area. SF6 gas concentration was measured under conditions of 100% outdoor air intake mode and air
recirculation mode. SF6 gas concentration was not detected in the consultation room where the outdoor air inlet was 100%. However, when
the air recirculation mode was activated, SF6 gas spread to the HVAC system and SF6 gas was detected in the feed diffuser and the
consulting room. In addition, the design airflow in the outpatient area was very different from the airflow in actual operation. As a result of
the CFD analysis, it is judged that the supply air volume is larger than the exhaust air volume. The results of the CFD analysis with
increasing exhaust volume showed that it was able to prevent the outflow to the outside sufficiently. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the
exhaust amount so that the outpatient area is formed into a negative pressure so as not to be leaked to the outside. In addition, studies on
the removing of pollutants controlled by negative pressure should be conducted. Consequently, to properly prevent the transmission of
infectious diseases, it is necessary to control the air flow in the outpatient area and consider a suitable control methods including filter,
UVGI, air cleaner etc. |