Covid-19: Consideration for Wearing Shields CFD Simulation

This ADVANCED level ANSYS Fluent CFD simulation tutorial explores the complex dynamics of coronavirus dispersion in the context of face shield effectiveness. This episode is designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of aerosol and droplet transport in human respiratory events, with a specific focus on evaluating the performance of face shields as protective equipment against COVID-19.

Key aspects of this advanced-level simulation include:

Discrete Phase Model (DPM): Detailed implementation of the DPM to accurately simulate the trajectories of virus-laden particles. This includes:

Setting up particle size distributions to represent respiratory droplets and aerosols
Configuring particle material properties and injection methods
Implementing particle tracking with appropriate time-step sizes
Accounting for factors such as evaporation, settling, and particle-wall interactions
Utilizing stochastic tracking to model the effects of turbulence on particle dispersion
Turbulence Modeling: Application of suitable turbulence models to capture the complex flow patterns around the face and shield, including potential for RANS, LES, or hybrid approaches.

Boundary Condition Setup: Configuration of appropriate boundary conditions to simulate breathing, coughing, or sneezing events, including time-dependent velocity and particle injection profiles.

Transient Simulation: Setup and execution of time-dependent simulations to capture the dynamic nature of respiratory events and particle dispersion.

Post-Processing and Visualization: Advanced techniques for analyzing and visualizing particle trajectories, concentration fields, and shield effectiveness, including the use of particle escape statistics and concentration contours.

This advanced-level training aims to enhance participants’ expertise in simulating and analyzing complex particle-laden flows in the context of public health engineering. It provides insights into the mechanisms of virus transmission through respiratory events and the effectiveness of protective equipment, preparing participants for cutting-edge applications in epidemiological modeling and personal protective equipment (PPE) design.

The tutorial focuses on sophisticated setup, solving, and analysis phases of the CFD simulation. This approach allows students to master advanced DPM techniques, apply complex turbulence models, and interpret detailed results in the context of infection risk assessment.

Participants will gain valuable experience in handling advanced CFD simulations involving particle dispersion, equipping them with the skills needed for complex analysis in public health engineering and PPE design. This knowledge is crucial for projects involving the assessment of infection risk in various environments, the design and optimization of protective equipment, and the development of evidence-based public health guidelines.