Numerical Investigation of Airborne Infection Risk in an Elevator Cabin under Different Ventilation Designs

TL;DR

This study uses computational modeling to evaluate how different HVAC systems in elevator cabins affect aerosol transmission and infection risk, highlighting the effectiveness of mixing ventilation in reducing airborne virus spread.

Contribution

It introduces a transport equation-based model to compare aerosol removal efficiencies of various HVAC designs in elevator cabins, providing insights for infection risk mitigation.

Findings

Mixing ventilation achieves up to 79.40% particle removal efficiency.

Stratum ventilation has only 3.97% removal efficiency.

HVAC system choice significantly impacts airborne infection risk.

Abstract

Airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 via virus-laden aerosols in enclosed spaces poses a significant concern. Elevators, commonly utilized enclosed spaces in modern tall buildings, present a challenge as the impact of varying heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems on virus transmission within these cabins remains unclear. In this study, we employ computational modeling to examine aerosol transmission within an elevator cabin outfitted with diverse HVAC systems. Using a transport equation, we model aerosol concentration and assess infection risk distribution across passengers' breathing zones. We calculate particle removal efficiency for each HVAC design and introduce a suppression effect criterion to evaluate the effectiveness of the HVAC systems. Our findings reveal that mixing ventilation, featuring both inlet and outlet at the ceiling, proves most efficient in reducing particle spread, achieving a maximum removal efficiency of 79.40% during the exposure time. Conversely, the stratum ventilation model attains a mere removal efficiency of 3.97%. These results underscore the importance of careful HVAC system selection in mitigating the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission within elevator cabins.