CFD modelling of indoor aerosol transport based on experimental Lagrangian particle tracking measurements to infer airborne SARS-CoV-2 transmission risk

有令人信服的证据表明，SARS-CoV-2主要在室内传播，通过气雾剂在空气中传播是一种重要的感染途径，而较小的气雾剂可直接感染肺部，从而引发最严重的新冠肺炎过程。因此，了解室内环境中的气溶胶传输对于控制目前的大流行和帮助防止未来涉及空气传播的大流行是必不可少的。然而，室内环境中的生物气溶胶传输动力学是出了名的复杂，因此不是直接的模型和评估。在这项提案中，我们的目标是测试和验证用于室内气溶胶传输的计算负担得起的、普遍可用的CFD方法。首先，我们将通过分析我们独特的、高分辨率的实验数据，确定在这种环境中气溶胶传输和积累的关键方面。其次，我们将使用非定常模拟来模拟气溶胶输送，以评估最重要的气溶胶输送和累积过程是否可以被接受地再现。我们将结合这两种方法，为未来的设计和建模工作提供验证和参数化指导。这将有助于全球研究界迅速定制通风和室内空气卫生概念。

There is compelling evidence that transmission of SARS-CoV-2 occurs predominantly indoors, that airborne transmission via aerosols is one significant route of infection, and that smaller aerosols can directly infect the lungs, thereby triggering the most sever courses of COVID-19. Thus, understanding aerosol transport in indoor environments is indispensable for controlling the ongoing pandemic and to help preventing future ones involving airborne transmission. However, bio-aerosol transport dynamics in indoor environments is notoriously complex and therefore not straightforward to model and asses. In this proposal, we aim at testing and validating computationally affordable, generally accessible CFD-approaches for indoor aerosol transport. First, we will identify key aspects of aerosol transport and accumulation in such environments by analysing our unique, highly-resolved experimental data. Second, we will model aerosol transport in using unsteady simulations to assess whether the most significant aerosol transport and accumulation processes can be acceptably reproduced. We will combine both approaches to provide validation and parametrisation guidelines for future design and modelling efforts. This will help the global research community to quickly tailor ventilation and room-air-hygiene concepts.