RAPID: A physics-based model for droplet drying on varying surfaces and changing seasonal conditions and the implications for COVID-19 survival

RAPID：基于物理的模型，用于在不同表面和变化的季节条件下干燥液滴以及对 COVID-19 生存的影响

• 批准号: 2029263
• 负责人: Holavanahalli Udaykumar
• 金额: $ 19.95万
• 依托单位: University of Iowa
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-05-01 至 2021-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2029263&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RAPID; physics; based; model; droplet

The COVID-19 outbreak has resulted in enormous loss of lives and economic damage. Seasonal return of the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) will be even more devastating. One of the primary ways that SARS-CoV-2 appears to spread is through people touching surfaces with virus-laden droplets. Virus survivability on surfaces varies greatly by droplet size and composition, surface material and texture, and the ambient temperature and relative humidity. These factors impact the concentration of salt and other solutes in the process of droplets drying on surfaces, which strongly influences the survival of viruses in the droplets. This project will address survivability of viruses inside droplets and its relationship to droplet size, type of surface and ambient conditions representing seasonal variations. The team will especially seek to understand conditions under which virus survival in surface-adherent droplets is diminished. This information is crucial for public health officials, virologists, and other experts working on disinfection efforts to control and mitigate current and future COVID-19 outbreaks.This project will bring together an interdisciplinary team of engineers, virologists, and infectious disease experts to understand the mechanisms that determine virus survival/annihilation on different surfaces under varying seasonal conditions. The research plan combines computer simulations and experiments to reveal what happens inside droplets under conditions specific to COVID-19 scenarios. More specifically, this project will study the thermal and mass transport processes that occur in droplets drying on various surfaces. Project results will include quantitative information on the solute (salt, protein) concentration-time pathways in the interior of virus-carrying droplets drying on surfaces. These pathways will be quantified as functions of droplet size, composition, ambient temperature and relative humidity, and surface characteristics. Novel laser and chemical treatments of surfaces will be employed to modify hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity over a wide range to examine the effect of such modifications on droplet drying processes. This project will therefore reveal what types of seasonal conditions and surface modifications will contribute to diminished survival of viruses within droplets. The project team will transition project results to experts who study methods to deactivate viruses. Arming them with precise knowledge on the thermochemical conditions faced by the pathogens within drying droplets will enable them to focus attention on effective disinfection techniques.This project is jointly funded by the Thermal Transport Processes program and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

COVID-19 的爆发造成了巨大的生命损失和经济损失。冠状病毒（SARS-CoV-2）的季节性回归将更具破坏性。 SARS-CoV-2 的主要传播方式之一是通过人们接触带有病毒的飞沫的表面。病毒在表面的生存能力因液滴大小和成分、表面材料和纹理以及环境温度和相对湿度而有很大差异。这些因素会影响液滴在表面干燥过程中盐和其他溶质的浓度，从而强烈影响液滴中病毒的生存。该项目将解决飞沫内病毒的生存能力及其与飞沫大小、表面类型和代表季节变化的环境条件的关系。该团队将特别寻求了解在什么条件下病毒在表面粘附的液滴中的存活率会降低。这些信息对于公共卫生官员、病毒学家和其他致力于控制和减轻当前和未来 COVID-19 爆发的消毒工作的专家来说至关重要。该项目将汇集一个由工程师、病毒学家和传染病专家组成的跨学科团队，以了解在不同季节条件下决定病毒在不同表面上存活/消灭的机制。该研究计划结合了计算机模拟和实验，以揭示在特定于 COVID-19 场景的条件下液滴内部会发生什么。更具体地说，该项目将研究在各种表面上干燥的液滴中发生的热和质量传输过程。项目结果将包括表面干燥的携带病毒的液滴内部溶质（盐、蛋白质）浓度-时间路径的定量信息。这些途径将被量化为液滴大小、成分、环境温度和相对湿度以及表面特征的函数。新型激光和化学表面处理将用于在大范围内改变疏水性和亲水性，以检查这种修饰对液滴干燥过程的影响。因此，该项目将揭示哪些类型的季节性条件和表面修饰会导致飞沫中病毒的存活率降低。项目团队将把项目成果转交给研究灭活病毒方法的专家。让他们准确了解干燥液滴中病原体所面临的热化学条件，将使他们能够将注意力集中在有效的消毒技术上。该项目由热传输过程计划和刺激竞争性研究既定计划 (EPSCoR) 共同资助。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查进行评估，被认为值得支持 标准。