Aerosol Mist Separation Units for Enhanced Personal Protection in Indoor Environments

新病毒SARS-CoV 2扩散的初步结果表明，携带病毒的气溶胶颗粒可以在空气中停留的时间比最初想象的要长。虽然人们认为咳嗽、打喷嚏和呼出的空气中的大颗粒液滴会在2米范围内落到地面，但有证据表明，当非常小的颗粒液滴周围的水蒸发时，这些颗粒可以在气流中传播一定距离。最近在芬兰进行的一项研究“（阿尔托大学; Ville Vuorinen，Antti Hellsten等; 2020年4月6日）进一步指出，冠状病毒是通过这种极其微小的空气颗粒传播的。目前的新冠肺炎紧急情况促使每个人都更加关注我们周围的空气质量。室内环境在对抗这种新疾病方面发挥着重要作用。在过去的几十年里，几项研究表明，室内的污染水平可能比忙碌城市的街道上更高，并将室内空气质量差与严重的人类健康问题联系起来，如心血管疾病，焦虑，呼吸问题，癌症和许多其他问题。恶劣的室内空气质量直接影响人体的防御系统，增加了病原体感染的风险。美国的一项研究“（J TheGuardian“Air Pollution”; Damian Carrington; 7/04/2020）”表明，空气污染与COVID-19患者的死亡率显著升高以及病毒传播率升高有关。BPP的工程师正在开发一种现有技术的适应性改造，该技术将去除室内空气中可能传播SARS-CoV-2病毒的小水滴。这有可能进一步降低传播风险，而不是通过社交距离和穿戴PPE提供的风险。该设备将被设计用于医院、全科医生手术室和护理院以及其他需要额外一层病毒传播预防的类似治疗和护理场所。该项目的最终目的是获得一种可以及时快速投入生产的设计，以便在下一阶段的疫情中随着封锁限制的逐步放松，有助于降低感染传播率。

Preliminary results on the diffusion of the novel virus SARS-CoV2 indicate that aerosol particles carrying the virus can remain in the air longer than was originally thought. Whilst it is accepted that large particle droplets from coughs, sneezes and exhaled air would drop to the ground within 2 metres, there is evidence that when the water around very small particle droplets has evaporated, these particles can travel some distances in air currents. A recent study conducted in Finland "(Aalto university; Ville Vuorinen, Antti Hellsten et all.; 6/04/2020)" further states that coronavirus is transported through such extremely small airborne particles.The current Covid 19 emergency has pushed everyone to be more aware of air quality that surrounds us. Indoor environments play a fundamental role in the fight against this novel disease. In past decades, several studies have shown that pollution levels indoors can be greater than in the street of a busy city and have linked poor indoor air quality to serious human health problems, such us cardiovascular disease, anxiety, respiratory problems, cancer and many others. Poor indoor air quality directly affects human defence system, increasing the risk of infection by pathogens. An American study "(J TheGuardian "Air Pollution"; Damian Carrington; 7/04/2020)" shows that air pollution is linked to significantly higher rates of death in people with COVID-19 and to a higher virus spread rate.BPP engineers are developing an adaptation of an existing technology that will remove small airborne water droplets that may transmit SARS-CoV-2 virus loads from air in indoor spaces. This has the potential to further reduce the risk of transmission over and above what is delivered by social distancing and by wearing PPE. This device will be designed for use in hospitals, GP surgeries and care homes and other similar treatment and care locations where an additional layer of virus transmission prevention is desirable.The end point of the project is to obtain a design that can be rapidly put into manufacture in time for contributing to reducing infection transmission rates in the next phase of the pandemic as lockdown restrictions are gradually relaxed.