Evaluating SARS-CoV-2 airborne quanta transmission and exposure risk in a mechanically ventilated multizone office building

Shujie Yan; Liangzhu Leon Wang; Michael J Birnkrant; John Zhai; Shelly L Miller

doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2022.109184

Evaluating SARS-CoV-2 airborne quanta transmission and exposure risk in a mechanically ventilated multizone office building

Build Environ. 2022 Jul 1:219:109184. doi: 10.1016/j.buildenv.2022.109184. Epub 2022 May 13.

Authors

Shujie Yan¹, Liangzhu Leon Wang¹, Michael J Birnkrant², John Zhai³, Shelly L Miller⁴

Affiliations

¹ Dept. of Building, Civil & Environmental Engineering, Concordia University, 1455 de Maisonneuve Blvd. West, Montreal, Quebec, H3G1M8, Canada.
² Carrier Corporation, 6304 Thompson Road, East Syracuse, NY, 13057, USA.
³ Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado, Boulder, USA.
⁴ Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado, Boulder, USA.

Abstract

The world has faced tremendous challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic since 2020, and effective clean air strategies that mitigate infectious risks indoors have become more essential. In this study, a novel approach based on the Wells-Riley model applied to a multizone building was proposed to simulate exposure to infectious doses in terms of "quanta". This modeling approach quantifies the relative benefits of different risk mitigation strategies so that their effectiveness could be compared. A case study for the US Department of Energy large office prototype building was conducted to illustrate the approach. The infectious risk propagation from the infection source throughout the building was evaluated. Different mitigation strategies were implemented, including increasing outdoor air ventilation rates and adding air-cleaning devices such as Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) filters and portable air cleaners (PACs) with HEPA filters in-room/in-duct germicidal ultraviolet (GUV) lights, layering with wearing masks. Results showed that to keep the risk of the infection propagating low the best strategy without universal masking was the operation of in-room GUV or a large industrial-sized PAC; whereas with masking all strategies were acceptable. This study contributes to a better understanding of the airborne transmission risks in multizone, mechanically ventilated buildings and how to reduce infection risk from a public health perspective of different mitigation strategies.

Keywords: Airborne transmission; Infective risk; Multizone; SARS-CoV-2; Wells-Riley; Whole-building.