Aerodynamics and Fluid Mechanics Commons^™

Background Flow Influence On Impulsive Jet-Driven Micro Droplet Dispersal, Vaishak Thiruvenkitam

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Accurately predicting the airborne spread of infectious diseases is crucial in controlling the COVID­19 pandemic today. Studies have shown the spread of expiratory droplets depends on ambient thermodynamic conditions and flow properties of the jet emitted by the activity. However, the droplet spread in conditions of background flow is not yet comprehensively understood. This study uses the Eulerian­-Lagrangian model with k−ω turbulence modelling to simulate spread of particles and study the factors affecting it in a closed environment with a background flow. Respiratory activities are modeled as a non-­isothermal jet of air with droplets suspended in them in a predetermined …