Exhaled contaminant concentration data in a hospital room influenced by external heat gains

A hospital room is simulated using two breathing thermal manikins representing a health worker (HW) and a patient in repose (PR). The PR exhales R134a simulating small exhaled particles (<5 μm) and the contaminant concentration around and in the inhalation of HW is measured during a period of 2 hours per experiment. The room is climatized to maintain constant air temperature values of 25 °C using two wall mounted grilles and two exhausts. The air change per hour (ACH) used varies from 6 to 12 in order to evaluate its influence on the dispersion of exhaled contaminants. An external heat gain is simulated by a radiant wall (RW) that is active or inactive during the experiments. When RW is active the external heat gain simulated is 39.7 W/m², which corresponds to a solar external radiation typical in many countries worldwide. The contaminant concentration is measured at different locations around HW and in the inhalation tube. The temperature gradient in the room is also measured along a vertical pole. The discussion of the results of the 16 experimental cases can be found in Ref. [1].