Aerosol Mist Separation Units for Enhanced Personal Protection in Indoor Environments

关于新型SARS-CoV2病毒扩散的初步结果表明，携带病毒的气溶胶颗粒在空气中停留的时间比最初想象的要长。虽然人们承认咳嗽、打喷嚏和呼出的空气中的大颗粒液滴会在2米内落到地面，但有证据表明，当非常小的颗粒液滴周围的水蒸发后，这些颗粒可以在气流中移动一段距离。最近在芬兰进行的一项研究“(阿尔托大学；Ville Vuorinen，Antti Hellsten et All.；6/04/2020)进一步指出，冠状病毒是通过极小的空气悬浮颗粒传播的。目前的Covid 19紧急情况促使每个人更多地意识到我们周围的空气质量。室内环境在与这种新疾病的斗争中发挥着重要作用。在过去的几十年里，几项研究表明，室内的污染水平可能比繁忙城市的街道上的污染水平更高，并将糟糕的室内空气质量与严重的人类健康问题联系在一起，如美国的心血管疾病、焦虑、呼吸问题、癌症和许多其他问题。室内空气质量差直接影响人体防御系统，增加被病原体感染的风险。美国的一项研究“(《卫报》空气污染》；Damian Carrington；7/04/2020)表明，空气污染与新冠肺炎携带者显著更高的死亡率和更高的病毒传播率有关。BPP的工程师们正在开发一项现有技术的改编，该技术将从室内空间的空气中去除可能传播SARS-CoV-2病毒负载的空气中的小水滴。这有可能进一步降低传播的风险，而不仅仅是通过社交距离和佩戴个人防护装备来实现的。该设备将被设计用于医院、全科医生手术和疗养院以及其他类似的治疗和护理场所，在这些地方需要额外的一层病毒传播预防。该项目的目的是获得一种能够及时迅速投入生产的设计，以便随着封锁限制的逐步放松，在大流行的下一阶段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.