Optimising the performance of air cleaning technology for mitigation of infection in hospital environments

The pandemic has raised awareness of the inadequacy of ventilation in many buildings including healthcare settings where there can be significant infection risks posed by poor ventilation. Air cleaning technologies offer a feasible approach for improving indoor air with increasing evidence that filter based units are effective to mitigate airborne infection risks.

However, there is limited data around their role at preventing surface contamination, use for reducing other air pollutants, complex interactions with indoor air flows and smart operation of devices. This collaboration between the University of Leeds and Air Sentry Ltd will explore the design and optimisation of novel approaches to filter-based air cleaning.

The project will use a combination of experimental and computational approaches. Controlled experiments in the Leeds bioaerosol chamber will involve sampling and culturing microorganisms from the air and on surfaces, as well as real-time measurement of physical environmental parameters with different air cleaning devices in the setting. Experimental measurements in real-world settings including hospital wards may also be carried out.

Modelling approaches based on Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) will be used simulate the interaction of the air cleaning device with the airflows and pollutant sources in indoor spaces. Data from both approaches will be used assess aspects such as performance characteristics, optimisation of controls and the effectiveness under transient scenarios.