Optimization of air supply parameters for stratum ventilation based on proper orthogonal decomposition

Area of Science:

• Building ventilation and environmental engineering
• Computational fluid dynamics
• Infectious disease control

Background:

• Stratum ventilation supplies fresh air to the breathing zone, enhancing indoor air quality during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Traditional methods for designing stratum ventilation parameters are inefficient and time-consuming, hindering the identification of optimal settings.
• Reducing airborne droplet nuclei concentration is crucial for controlling virus transmission.

Purpose of the Study:

• To apply an inverse design method based on proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) for optimizing stratum ventilation parameters.
• To improve the efficiency of ventilation system design compared to conventional trial-and-error approaches.
• To reduce the concentration of airborne droplet nuclei in the human breathing zone for enhanced COVID-19 control.

Main Methods:

• Utilized an inverse design method incorporating proper orthogonal decomposition (POD).
• Optimized air supply parameters for stratum ventilation systems.
• Selected Predicted Mean Vote (PMV), Predicted Percentage Dissatisfied (PPD), and droplet nuclei concentration as key design objectives.

Main Results:

• The POD-based inverse design method demonstrated over 90% time savings compared to trial-and-error methods.
• The POD method facilitated a significant expansion of the sample size for parameter analysis.
• Optimized stratum ventilation parameters reduced fine droplet nuclei concentration by over 20% compared to traditional designs.

Conclusions:

• The inverse design method based on POD offers a highly efficient approach for optimizing stratum ventilation parameters.
• This method effectively reduces airborne droplet nuclei concentration, contributing to better control of COVID-19 transmission.
• Stratum ventilation, when optimized using POD, significantly enhances indoor air quality and occupant comfort.