Advanced Ventilation in and beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract submission deadline

closed (20 August 2023)

Manuscript submission deadline

closed (20 October 2023)

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Topic Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are inviting submissions to the Topic on “Advanced Ventilation in and beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic”. A wide range of pollutants have been found indoors, and the adverse effects of various indoor pollutants on occupants’ health have also been recognized. In addition, both gaseous pollutants and particulate matter pollutants may spread indoors from one zone to another due to improperly designed airflow distribution systems. Additionally, using traditional ventilation methods, influenza viruses may spread from person to person through coughing or sneezing in indoor spaces. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic has shown clear evidence that advanced airflow distribution methods are urgently needed to reduce cross-infection and exposure to indoor pollution. Increasing infections show the urgent need to develop advanced airflow distribution methods to reduce exposure to various indoor pollutants.

However, increasing ventilation rates would result in higher energy consumption and the need for large and costly ventilation systems, with possible consequences for thermal and audial comfort. Instead, the proper design and control of air distribution in indoor spaces is a better alternative. Innovative ideas to improve indoor air distribution can prevent occupants from exposure to various indoor pollutants. Effective and efficient methods of airflow distribution can reduce indoor exposure to various pollutants for various applications without consequences for thermal comfort or energy consumption. This Topic aims to address the outlined challenges by welcoming articles related to (but not limited to) the following topics:

• Improving the micro-environment (inhaled air quality and thermal comfort) for individual and group occupants with reduced energy use;
• Applications in hospital facilities, public and institution buildings, shops, schools, etc.;
• Efficient methods and devices for air distribution to target areas, i.e., as close as possible to the breathing zones of individual or groups of occupants; 
• Reducing exposure to airborne pathogens;
• Supply air demand, adjustability, functionality and flexibility for spatio-temperal needs according to the activities of individuals or groups of occupants; 
• Experimentation around advanced ventilation and data regarding retention values;
• Sophisticated and efficient control of advanced ventilation;
• Intelligent sensing of occupants’ bodily physiological signals and positions;
• Modelling occupants’ behaviors for the efficient design and control of built environments;
• Passive and positive methods for the energy-efficient provision of clean air.

The target readers of this Topic include academics, specialists, researchers, professionals, manufacturers and policymakers who are working and interested in the topics outlined above.

Prof. Dr. John Z Lin
Dr. Zhaosong Fang
Dr. Sheng Zhang
Dr. Jian Liu
Dr. Yong Cheng
Dr. Chao Huan
Topic Editors

Keywords

Participating Journals

Journal Name	Impact Factor	CiteScore	Launched Year	First Decision (median)	APC
Buildings buildings	3.8	3.1	2011	14.6 Days	CHF 2600
COVID covid	-	-	2021	16.8 Days	CHF 1000
Energies energies	3.2	5.5	2008	16.1 Days	CHF 2600
Environments environments	3.7	5.9	2014	23.7 Days	CHF 1800
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ijerph	-	5.4	2004	29.6 Days	CHF 2500
Sustainability sustainability	3.9	5.8	2009	18.8 Days	CHF 2400

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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All Buildings COVID Energies Environments IJERPH Sustainability

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26 pages, 12846 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

Simulation Study on Airflow Organization and Environment in Reconstructed Fangcang Shelter Hospital Based on CFD

by Yongwen Yang, Haitao Yang, Qifen Li, Liting Zhang and Ziwen Dong

Buildings 2023, 13(5), 1269; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13051269 - 12 May 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1431

Abstract

With frequent outbreaks of COVID-19, the rapid and effective construction of large-space buildings into Fangcang shelter hospitals has gradually become one of the effective means to control the epidemic. Reasonable design of the ventilation system of the Fangcang shelter hospital can optimize the [...] Read more.

With frequent outbreaks of COVID-19, the rapid and effective construction of large-space buildings into Fangcang shelter hospitals has gradually become one of the effective means to control the epidemic. Reasonable design of the ventilation system of the Fangcang shelter hospital can optimize the indoor airflow organization, so that the internal environment can meet the comfort of patients and at the same time can effectively discharge pollutants, which is particularly important for the establishment of the Fangcang shelter hospital. In this paper, through the reconstruction of a large-space gymnasium, CFD software is used to simulate the living environment and pollutant emission efficiency of the reconstructed Fangcang shelter hospital in summer under different air supply temperatures, air supply heights and exhaust air volume parameters. The results show that when the air supply parameters are set to an air supply height of 4.5 m, an air supply temperature of 18 °C, and an exhaust air volume of a single bed of 150 m³/h, the thermal comfort can reach level I, and the ventilation efficiency for pollutants can reach 69.6%. In addition, the ventilation efficiency is 70.1% and 70.3% when the exhaust air volume of a single bed is continuously increased to 200 and 250 m³/h, which can no longer effectively improve the pollutant emission and will cause an uncomfortable blowing feeling to patients. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Advanced Ventilation in and beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic)

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21 pages, 624 KiB  

Open AccessReview

The Influence of Ventilation Measures on the Airborne Risk of Infection in Schools: A Scoping Review

by Sandra N. Jendrossek, Lukas A. Jurk, Kirsten Remmers, Yunus E. Cetin, Wolfgang Sunder, Martin Kriegel and Petra Gastmeier

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(4), 3746; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20043746 - 20 Feb 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2637

Abstract

Objectives: To review the risk of airborne infections in schools and evaluate the effect of intervention measures reported in field studies. Background: Schools are part of a country’s critical infrastructure. Good infection prevention measures are essential for reducing the risk of infection in [...] Read more.

Objectives: To review the risk of airborne infections in schools and evaluate the effect of intervention measures reported in field studies. Background: Schools are part of a country’s critical infrastructure. Good infection prevention measures are essential for reducing the risk of infection in schools as much as possible, since these are places where many individuals spend a great deal of time together every weekday in a small area where airborne pathogens can spread quickly. Appropriate ventilation can reduce the indoor concentration of airborne pathogens and reduce the risk of infection. Methods: A systematic search of the literature was conducted in the databases Embase, MEDLINE, and ScienceDirect using keywords such as school, classroom, ventilation, carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentration, SARS-CoV-2, and airborne transmission. The primary endpoint of the studies selected was the risk of airborne infection or CO₂ concentration as a surrogate parameter. Studies were grouped according to the study type. Results: We identified 30 studies that met the inclusion criteria, six of them intervention studies. When specific ventilation strategies were lacking in schools being investigated, CO₂ concentrations were often above the recommended maximum values. Improving ventilation lowered the CO₂ concentration, resulting in a lower risk of airborne infections. Conclusions: The ventilation in many schools is not adequate to guarantee good indoor air quality. Ventilation is an important measure for reducing the risk of airborne infections in schools. The most important effect is to reduce the time of residence of pathogens in the classrooms. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Advanced Ventilation in and beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic)

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21 pages, 11404 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

Study on the Applicable Room Size Dimension of Stratum Ventilation for Heating Based on Multi-Criteria Analytic Hierarchy Process-Entropy Weight Model

by Yanhui Mao, Honglei Xie, Xinlu Zhang, Fumin Hou and Miantong Wang

Buildings 2023, 13(2), 381; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13020381 - 30 Jan 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1367

Abstract

With the implementation of clean heating and the outbreak of COVID-19, stratum ventilation with both energy-saving and healthy indoor environments has become a research hotspot. Room size dimension is one of the critical factors affecting the air distribution, thermal comfort, and ventilation performance [...] Read more.

With the implementation of clean heating and the outbreak of COVID-19, stratum ventilation with both energy-saving and healthy indoor environments has become a research hotspot. Room size dimension is one of the critical factors affecting the air distribution, thermal comfort, and ventilation performance of space heating, which is still a research blank at present. This study determined the applicable room size dimension of stratum ventilation for space heating by using a multi-criteria analytic hierarchy process-entropy weight (AHP-EW) model. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation verified by experiments was conducted. To investigate the ventilation performance of different room sizes in energy utilization and thermal comfort, airflow distribution, ventilation efficiency (E_t), dimensionless temperature, effective ventilation temperature (EDT), air distribution performance index (ADPI), and predicted mean vote (PMV) were calculated. The multi-criteria AHP-EW method is used to evaluate every case comprehensively. The results show that the maximum room size obtained by multi-criteria APH-EW is 6 m, and considering the single criteria, the suitable height for stratum ventilation for heating is below 5.7 m. The data obtained in this paper can be used as a reference for further study on the application of stratum ventilation and heating in the future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Advanced Ventilation in and beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic)

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24 pages, 11297 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

Multizone Modeling of Airborne SARS-CoV-2 Quanta Transmission and Infection Mitigation Strategies in Office, Hotel, Retail, and School Buildings

by Shujie Yan, Liangzhu (Leon) Wang, Michael J. Birnkrant, Zhiqiang (John) Zhai and Shelly L. Miller

Buildings 2023, 13(1), 102; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13010102 - 31 Dec 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4399

Abstract

Airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 mostly occurs indoors, and effective mitigation strategies for specific building types are needed. Most guidance provided during the pandemic focused on general strategies that may not be applicable for all buildings. A systematic evaluation of infection risk mitigation strategies [...] Read more.

Airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 mostly occurs indoors, and effective mitigation strategies for specific building types are needed. Most guidance provided during the pandemic focused on general strategies that may not be applicable for all buildings. A systematic evaluation of infection risk mitigation strategies for different public and commercial buildings would facilitate their reopening process as well as post-pandemic operation. This study evaluates engineering mitigation strategies for five selected US Department of Energy prototype commercial buildings (i.e., Medium Office, Large Office, Small Hotel, Stand-Alone Retail, and Secondary School). The evaluation applied the multizone airflow and contaminant simulation software, CONTAM, with a newly developed CONTAM-quanta approach for infection risk assessment. The zone-to-zone quanta transmission and quanta fate were analyzed. The effectiveness of mechanical ventilation, and in-duct and in-room air treatment mitigation strategies were evaluated and compared. The efficacy of mitigation strategies was evaluated for full, 75%, 50% and 25% of design occupancy of these buildings under no-mask and mask-wearing conditions. Results suggested that for small spaces, in-duct air treatment would be insufficient for mitigating infection risks and additional in-room treatment devices would be needed. To avoid assessing mitigation strategies by simulating every building configuration, correlations of individual infection risk as a function of building mitigation parameters were developed upon extensive parametric studies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Advanced Ventilation in and beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic)

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