An experimental study of respiratory aerosol transport in phantom lung bronchioles.
TL;DR: Lower breathing frequency and higher breath hold time could significantly increase the chances of getting infected with COVID-19 in crowded places.
Abstract: The transport and deposition of micrometer-sized particles in the lung is the primary mechanism for the spread of aerosol borne diseases such as corona virus disease-19 (COVID-19). Considering the current situation, modeling the transport and deposition of drops in human lung bronchioles is of utmost importance to determine their consequences on human health. The current study reports experimental observations on deposition in micro-capillaries, representing distal lung bronchioles, over a wide range of Re that imitates the particle dynamics in the entire lung. The experiment investigated deposition in tubes of diameter ranging from 0.3 mm to 2 mm and over a wide range of Reynolds number (10−2 ⩽ Re ⩽ 103). The range of the tube diameter and Re used in this study is motivated by the dimensions of lung airways and typical breathing flow rates. The aerosol fluid was loaded with boron doped carbon quantum dots as fluorophores. An aerosol plume was generated from this mixture fluid using an ultrasonic nebulizer, producing droplets with 6.5 µm as a mean diameter and over a narrow distribution of sizes. The amount of aerosol deposited on the tube walls was measured using a spectrofluorometer. The experimental results show that dimensionless deposition (δ) varies inversely with the bronchiole aspect ratio ( L ¯ ), with the effect of the Reynolds number (Re) being significant only at low L ¯ . δ also increased with increasing dimensionless bronchiole diameter ( D ¯ ), but it is invariant with the particle size based Reynolds number. We show that δ L ¯ ∼ R e − 2 for 10−2 ⩽ Re ⩽ 1, which is typical of a diffusion dominated regime. For Re ⩾ 1, in the impaction dominated regime, δ L ¯ is shown to be independent of Re. We also show a crossover regime where sedimentation becomes important. The experimental results conclude that lower breathing frequency and higher breath hold time could significantly increase the chances of getting infected with COVID-19 in crowded places.
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the SARS CoV-2 virus particle transport and deposition to the terminal airways in a complex 17-generation lung model and showed that a higher percentage of the virus particles are trapped at the upper airways when sleeping and in a light activity condition.
Abstract: The recent outbreak of the SARS CoV-2 virus has had a significant effect on human respiratory health around the world. The contagious disease infected a large proportion of the world population, resulting in long-term health issues and an excessive mortality rate. The SARS CoV-2 virus can spread as small aerosols and enters the respiratory systems through the oral (nose or mouth) airway. The SARS CoV-2 particle transport to the mouth-throat and upper airways is analyzed by the available literature. Due to the tiny size, the virus can travel to the terminal airways of the respiratory system and form a severe health hazard. There is a gap in the understanding of the SARS CoV-2 particle transport to the terminal airways. The present study investigated the SARS CoV-2 virus particle transport and deposition to the terminal airways in a complex 17-generation lung model. This first-ever study demonstrates how far SARS CoV-2 particles can travel in the respiratory system. ANSYS Fluent solver was used to simulate the virus particle transport during sleep and light and heavy activity conditions. Numerical results demonstrate that a higher percentage of the virus particles are trapped at the upper airways when sleeping and in a light activity condition. More virus particles have lung contact in the right lung than the left lung. A comprehensive lobe specific deposition and deposition concentration study was performed. The results of this study provide a precise knowledge of the SARs CoV-2 particle transport to the lower branches and could help the lung health risk assessment system.
29 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors measured the size and number of droplets generated by flushing toilets and urinals in a public restroom and found that the particular designs tested in the study generate a large number of aerosol in the size range 0.3 μ m − 3 μ m, which can reach heights of at least 1.52 m.
Abstract: Aerosolized droplets play a central role in the transmission of various infectious diseases, including Legionnaire's disease, gastroenteritis-causing norovirus, and most recently COVID-19. Respiratory droplets are known to be the most prominent source of transmission for COVID-19; however, alternative routes may exist given the discovery of small numbers of viable viruses in urine and stool samples. Flushing biomatter can lead to the aerosolization of micro-organisms; thus, there is a likelihood that bioaerosols generated in public restrooms may pose a concern for the transmission of COVID-19, especially since these areas are relatively confined, experience heavy foot traffic, and may suffer from inadequate ventilation. To quantify the extent of aerosolization, we measure the size and number of droplets generated by flushing toilets and urinals in a public restroom. The results indicate that the particular designs tested in the study generate a large number of droplets in the size range 0.3 μ m– 3 μ m, which can reach heights of at least 1.52 m. Covering the toilet reduced aerosol levels but did not eliminate them completely, suggesting that aerosolized droplets escaped through small gaps between the cover and the seat. In addition to consistent increases in aerosol levels immediately after flushing, there was a notable rise in ambient aerosol levels due to the accumulation of droplets from multiple flushes conducted during the tests. This highlights the need for incorporating adequate ventilation in the design and operation of public spaces, which can help prevent aerosol accumulation in high occupancy areas and mitigate the risk of airborne disease transmission.
25 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe respiratory droplets from a physical and mechanical perspective, especially their correlation with the transmission of infectious pathogens, and stress the multidisciplinary nature of their subject and appeals for collaboration among different fields to fight the present pandemic.
Abstract: The outbreak of the coronavirus disease has drawn public attention to the transmission of infectious pathogens, and as major carriers of those pathogens, respiratory droplets play an important role in the process of transmission. This Review describes respiratory droplets from a physical and mechanical perspective, especially their correlation with the transmission of infectious pathogens. It covers the important aspects of (i) the generation and expulsion of droplets during respiratory activities, (ii) the transport and evolution of respiratory droplets in the ambient environment, and (iii) the inhalation and deposition of droplets in the human respiratory tract. State-of-the-art experimental, computational, and theoretical models and results are presented, and the corresponding knowledge gaps are identified. This Review stresses the multidisciplinary nature of its subject and appeals for collaboration among different fields to fight the present pandemic.
23 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated SARS COVID-2 aerosol transport in age-specific airway systems using a highly asymmetric airway model and fluent solver (ANSYS 19.2).
Abstract: The recent outbreak of the COVID-19 causes significant respirational health problems, including high mortality rates worldwide. The deadly corona virus-containing aerosol enters the atmospheric air through sneezing, exhalation, or talking, assembling with the particulate matter, and subsequently transferring to the respiratory system. This recent outbreak illustrates that the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus-2 is deadlier for aged people than for other age groups. It is evident that the airway diameter reduces with age, and an accurate understanding of SARS aerosol transport through different elderly people's airways could potentially help the overall respiratory health assessment, which is currently lacking in the literature. This first-ever study investigates SARS COVID-2 aerosol transport in age-specific airway systems. A highly asymmetric age-specific airway model and fluent solver (ANSYS 19.2) are used for the investigation. The computational fluid dynamics measurement predicts higher SARS COVID-2 aerosol concentration in the airway wall for older adults than for younger people. The numerical study reports that the smaller SARS coronavirus-2 aerosol deposition rate in the right lung is higher than that in the left lung, and the opposite scenario occurs for the larger SARS coronavirus-2 aerosol rate. The numerical results show a fluctuating trend of pressure at different generations of the age-specific model. The findings of this study would improve the knowledge of SARS coronavirus-2 aerosol transportation to the upper airways which would thus ameliorate the targeted aerosol drug delivery system.
21 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explored the disjoining pressure-driven thin-film evaporation mechanism and thereby the virucidal properties of engineered surfaces with varied wettability and texture.
Abstract: Surface engineering is an emerging technology to design antiviral surfaces, especially in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic. However, there is yet no general understanding of the rules and optimized conditions governing the virucidal properties of engineered surfaces. The understanding is crucial for designing antiviral surfaces. Previous studies reported that the drying time of a residual thin-film after the evaporation of a bulk respiratory droplet on a smooth surface correlates with the coronavirus survival time. Recently, we [Chatterjee et al., Phys. Fluids. 33, 021701 (2021)] showed that the evaporation is much faster on porous than impermeable surfaces, making the porous surfaces lesser susceptible to virus survival. The faster evaporation on porous surfaces was attributed to an enhanced disjoining pressure within the thin-film due the presence of horizontally oriented fibers and void spaces. Motivated by this, we explore herein the disjoining pressure-driven thin-film evaporation mechanism and thereby the virucidal properties of engineered surfaces with varied wettability and texture. A generic model is developed which agrees qualitatively well with the previous virus titer measurements on nanostructured surfaces. Thereafter, we design model surfaces and report the optimized conditions for roughness and wettability to achieve the most prominent virucidal effect. We have deciphered that the optimized thin-film lifetime can be gained by tailoring wettability and roughness, irrespective of the nature of texture geometry. The present study expands the applicability of the process and demonstrates ways to design antiviral surfaces, thereby aiding to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
19 citations
References
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TL;DR: In this article, the trajectories of aerosols are computed in a high-resolution direct numerical simulation of turbulent flow in a vertical channel, where the influence of the aerosols on the gas flow is assumed to be negligible.
Abstract: The trajectories of aerosols are computed in a high‐resolution direct numerical simulation of turbulent flow in a vertical channel. The aerosol equation of motion includes only a Stokes drag force and the influence of the aerosols on the gas flow is assumed to be negligible. Since the flow is vertical, aerosols deposit as a consequence of the turbulent fluctuations and their own inertia. It is shown that the eddies which are responsible for aerosol deposition are the same eddies that control turbulence production. Typical aerosol trajectories are shown and related to eddy structure. A free‐flight theory suggested by Friedlander and Johnstone [Ind. Eng. Chem. 49, 1151 (1957)] is found to be based on reasonable assumptions about typical velocities of depositing aerosols as they pass through the viscous sublayer, but the theory is shown to be deficient in other respects. The distribution of normal velocities of the aerosols that deposit is compared to the distribution of fluid particle velocities in the visc...
161 citations
TL;DR: A first principles model that connects respiratory droplet physics with the evolution of a pandemic such as the ongoing Covid-19 is developed and the firm theoretical underpinning that connects the two scales—macro-scale pandemic dynamics and micro-scale droplets physics—thus could emerge as a powerful tool in elucidating the role of environmental factors on infection spread through respiratory droplets.
Abstract: In this paper, we develop a first principles model that connects respiratory droplet physics with the evolution of a pandemic such as the ongoing Covid-19. The model has two parts. First, we model the growth rate of the infected population based on a reaction mechanism. The advantage of modeling the pandemic using the reaction mechanism is that the rate constants have sound physical interpretation. The infection rate constant is derived using collision rate theory and shown to be a function of the respiratory droplet lifetime. In the second part, we have emulated the respiratory droplets responsible for disease transmission as salt solution droplets and computed their evaporation time, accounting for droplet cooling, heat and mass transfer, and finally, crystallization of the dissolved salt. The model output favourably compares with the experimentally obtained evaporation characteristics of levitated droplets of pure water and salt solution, respectively, ensuring fidelity of the model. The droplet evaporation/desiccation time is, indeed, dependent on ambient temperature and is also a strong function of relative humidity. The multi-scale model thus developed and the firm theoretical underpinning that connects the two scales-macro-scale pandemic dynamics and micro-scale droplet physics-thus could emerge as a powerful tool in elucidating the role of environmental factors on infection spread through respiratory droplets.
160 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a fully coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian method has been applied for infection control, thus leading to a deeper understanding of the saliva-disease-carrier droplet transmission mechanisms and also of their trajectory tracking by using the OpenFOAM package.
Abstract: Violent respiratory diseases, i.e., coronavirus (COVID-19), spread through saliva in coughs and sneezes or are even exhaled in the form of microbial pathogen micro-droplets. Therefore, in this work, a comprehensive fully coupled Eulerian–Lagrangian method has been applied for infection control, thus leading to a deeper understanding of the saliva-disease-carrier droplet transmission mechanisms and also of their trajectory tracking by using the OpenFOAM package. This model determines the droplet–air interactions, the breakup process, and turbulent dispersion forces on each micro-droplet that is expelled within the respiratory tract in a correct way. By examining a broad range of initial velocities, size distributions, injection angles of saliva micro-droplets, and mouth opening areas, we predict the maximum opening area that can be driven by micro-droplets. One important contribution of this work is to present a correlation for the length and width of the overall direct maximum reach of the micro-droplets, driven by a wide range of mild coughs to intense sneezes. Our results indicate that the movement of the expelled droplets is mainly influenced by their size, angle, velocity, and environmental factors. During a virus crisis, like COVID-19, this paper can be used to determine the “social distance” between individuals to avoid contamination, by inhaling or touching their bodies, due to these saliva-disease-carrier droplets in sneezing, at various social distance positions such as face-to-face, meeting standing, and near equipment. The safe distance must be increased to around 4 m during a sneeze. By wearing a face mask and by bending the head during a sneeze as a protective action, we can reduce the contamination area to one-third and three-quarters, respectively. Furthermore, the dispersion of the film of the expelled saliva micro-droplets and the spatial relationship between the subjects, which affects the airflow inside the room, are also analyzed in detail.
160 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the effects of particle size, flow rate and flow Reynolds number were examined using gamma scintigraphy and gravimetry using an idealized average human mouth and throat replica.
155 citations
TL;DR: This study shows that the biomechanics of a human sneeze, including complex muscle contractions and relaxations, can be accurately modeled by the angular head motion and the dynamic pressure response during sneezing.
Abstract: The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) spread pattern continues to show that geographical barriers alone cannot contain a virus. Asymptomatic carriers play a critical role in the nature of this virus quickly escalating into a global pandemic. Asymptomatic carriers may transmit the virus unintentionally through sporadic sneezing. A novel Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) approach has been proposed with a realistic modeling of a human sneeze achieved by the combination of state-of-the-art experimental and numerical methods. This modeling approach may be suitable for future engineering analyses aimed at reshaping public spaces and common areas, with the main objective to accurately predict the spread of aerosol and droplets that may contain pathogens. This study shows that the biomechanics of a human sneeze, including complex muscle contractions and relaxations, can be accurately modeled by the angular head motion and the dynamic pressure response during sneezing. These have been considered as the human factors and were implemented in the CFD simulation by imposing a momentum source term to the coupled Eulerian–Lagrangian momentum equations. The momentum source was modeled by the measured dynamic pressure response in conjunction with the angular head motion. This approach eliminated the need to create an ad hoc set of inlet boundary conditions. With this proposed technique, it is easier to add multiple fixed and/or moving sources of sneezes in complex computational domains. Additionally, extensive sensitivity analyses based on different environmental conditions were performed, and their impact was described in terms of potential virus spread.
147 citations