A CFD study on the effect of portable air cleaner placement on airborne infection control in a classroom

Abstract

The utilization of portable air cleaners (PACs) is a recommended supplemental approach to help remove airborne pathogens and mitigate disease transmission in learning environments. To improve PAC effectiveness, science-based information is needed to optimize their implementation strategies such as the deployment location, height, and number of PACs. In this study, we developed a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model to assess how PACs perform in occupied classrooms equipped with displacement and mixing ventilation systems. The results show that PACs with a flow rate of 2.6 h⁻¹ reduce the mean aerosol intake of all students by up to 66%. A key benefit of using PACs is to facilitate air mixing and movement in indoor environments with inadequate ventilation, thereby effectively reducing high aerosol concentrations near the infector. Furthermore, our results highlight the impact of PAC location on its performance. PACs achieve the best effectiveness when placed closed to the infector (within a distance <3 m). In the absence of knowing who is infected, deploying a PAC at the center of the room is recommended. Moreover, adjusting PAC flow discharge height to the breathing height of occupants (e.g., 0.9–1.2 m for seated people) can enhance their effectiveness in spaces with poor air mixing.