Experimental evaluation of particle exposure at different seats in a single-aisle aircraft cabin

Xingyang Li; Tengfei Tim Zhang; Mingqi Fan; Mingxin Liu; Di Chang; Zhigang Daniel Wei; Chao-Hsin Lin; Shengcheng Ji; Junjie Liu; Shiong Shen; Zhengwei Long

doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2021.108049

Experimental evaluation of particle exposure at different seats in a single-aisle aircraft cabin

Build Environ. 2021 Sep:202:108049. doi: 10.1016/j.buildenv.2021.108049. Epub 2021 Jun 16.

Authors

Xingyang Li¹, Tengfei Tim Zhang^{1

2}, Mingqi Fan¹, Mingxin Liu¹, Di Chang¹, Zhigang Daniel Wei³, Chao-Hsin Lin⁴, Shengcheng Ji⁵, Junjie Liu¹, Shiong Shen¹, Zhengwei Long¹

Affiliations

¹ Tianjin Key Laboratory of Indoor Air Environmental Quality Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, 92 Weijin Road, Tianjin, 300072, China.
² School of Civil Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, 116024, China.
³ Boeing Research & Technology, Beijing, 100027, China.
⁴ Environmental Control Systems, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Everett, WA, 98203, USA.
⁵ Beijing Aeronautical Science & Technology Research Institute of COMAC, Beijing, 102211, China.

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, exposure to particles exhaled by infected passengers in commercial aircraft cabins has been a great concern. Currently, aircraft cabins adopt mixing ventilation. However, complete mixing may not be achieved, and thus the particle concentration in the respiratory zone may vary from seat to seat in a cabin. To evaluate the particle exposure in a typical single-aisle aircraft cabin, this investigation constructed an aircraft cabin mockup for experimental tests. Particles were released from a single source or dual sources at different seats to represent particles exhaled by infected passengers. The particle concentrations in the respiratory zones at various seats were measured and compared. The particle exposure was evaluated in both a cross section and a longitudinal section. Leaving the middle seat vacant to reduce particle exposure was also addressed. In addition, the velocity fields and air temperatures were measured to provide a better understanding of particle transport. It was found that the particle exposure at the window seat is always the lowest, regardless of the particle release locations. If the passenger seated in the middle does not release particles, his/her presence enhances the particle dispersion and thereby reduces the particle exposure for adjacent passengers. In the cabin mockup, the released particles can be transported across at least four rows of seats in the longitudinal direction.

Keywords: Aircraft cabin; Exposure; Measurement; Mixing ventilation; Particle.