Overview and details of the sessions of this conference. Please select a date or location to show only sessions at that day or location. Please select a single session for detailed view (with abstracts and downloads if available).
This is a preliminary schedule. Workshops, keynotes, and additional conference papers and extended abstracts will be added to the agenda in the future.
Analytical Evaluation of Far-UVC (222 nm) Air Disinfection Efficiency in Indoor Environments Using a Multi-Zonal Model
Amin Hadizade, Christopher DeGroot
Department of Mechanical and Material Engineering, Western University, Canada
Far-UVC (222 nm) technology offers a promising solution for effective air disinfection in indoor environments, significantly enhancing the mitigation of airborne pathogens without posing substantial risks to human health. In this work, we present an exact analytical solution for evaluating the efficiency of air disinfection in indoor spaces equipped with 222 nm UV technology, employing a multi-zonal model for the approximation of pathogen concentration dynamics. The multi-zonal approach divides the indoor space into distinct regions, each characterized by different levels of UV irradiation and ventilation, allowing for a more nuanced analysis of disinfection performance.
It is important to understand how well-mixed a room is when it is continuously ventilated. This becomes complicated when the interaction of two modes of pathogen removal (i.e., dilution by ventilation and inactivation by UV) is governed by this mixing. To address this, the model incorporates the stream function-vorticity formulation of the Navier-Stokes equations in elliptical coordinates to accurately simulate the flow fields, vorticity distribution, and transport of airborne pathogens. By solving the governing partial differential equations, we achieve a detailed representation of airflow patterns, which is crucial for predicting the movement of pathogen-laden aerosols. The stream function-vorticity method effectively reduces computational complexity by eliminating the pressure term, while elliptical coordinates accurately represent the complex geometry typically encountered in indoor environments.
In addition to UV germicidal intervention, the model integrates ventilation dynamics, natural pathogen decay, and deposition processes. The interaction between irradiated and non-irradiated zones within the room is explicitly modeled, providing a detailed quantification of air exchange rates and their implications for disinfection efficiency. This study's findings provide valuable insights into the design, optimization, and deployment of efficient, human-safe UV disinfection systems in a wide range of indoor settings, ultimately contributing to improved indoor air quality and reduced transmission of airborne diseases.
The Effect of Ventilation Strategies on Indoor Air Pollution in a Home Built to Future Home Standards
Navaneeth Meena Thamban1, Thomas J. Bannan1, Rongrong Wu1, Ujjawal Arora1, Grant Henshaw2, Richard Fitton2, William Swan2, Gordon McFiggans1
1The University of Manchester, United Kingdom; 2University of Salford, United Kingdom
The Future Homes Standard to be implemented in the UK by 2025, provides guidelines for new homes to be "zero-carbon ready" by enhancing energy efficiency, incorporating low-carbon heating and high fabric efficiency. These steps may unintentionally impact on indoor air quality and increase occupants’ exposure to harmful pollutants.
At the University of Salford’s state-of-the-art Energy House 2.0 research facility, the effectiveness and energy efficiency of ventilation and air purification systems to enhance indoor air quality were assessed within a Future Home built by Bellway. Energy House 2.0 comprises two environmental chambers, each accommodating two detached houses, designed to recreate a wide range of weather scenarios under controlled conditions.
Experiments included controlled injections of particulate matter (PM), gases and real-world cooking activities to simulate pollutant generation, comparing various ventilation strategies such as DMEV, MVHR, and commercial air purification purifiers under well-defined reproducible control scenarios. High-resolution online research instrumentation, including mass spectrometry and particle sizing, allowed for detailed chemical fingerprinting of gases and analysis of PM behaviour , and a suite of distributed sensors enabled interrogation of pollutant dispersion within the home.
Our findings indicate significant reductions in indoor CO₂, PM, and Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) concentrations by the tested ventilation systems, which could be integrated into future homes in the UK. During controlled releases of traceable pollutants, MVHR and DMEV modes consistently proved effective in reducing pollutant concentrations across all rooms. Similarly, air purification units achieve PM reductions of up to 90-95%, effectively limiting pollutant dispersion. While hydrocarbons and less-oxygenated VOCs were often substantially reduced, reductions for highly oxygenated species were less pronounced.
This unique test house, with comprehensive suite of air pollution measurements, enables the development of novel calculations linking energy consumption with indoor air quality improvements, supporting cost-benefit analyses to quantifying health and comfort gains alongside energy savings or costs.
