Answers to many questions about the spread of viruses through aerosols are provided by a new method that was developed as part of the FFG research project Prüf-COVID and added to the service portfolio of indoor hygiene specialist IBO Innenraumanalytik.
The central component of the method is a so-called tracer gas, which can be used to model the distribution of corona particles and other infectious aerosols. ThisCO2-based gas mixture was developed at the Institute of Process and Particle Technology at Graz University of Technology. Taking into account these factors as well as parameters that influence aerosol transmission - such as light, temperature, room humidity or ventilation - the team used simulations and calculations to determine the mixture that comes closest to the dispersion behavior of the corona particles, which are only a few micrometers in size, in warm breathing air. The dispersion behavior in the vertical direction is of particular interest here: Breathing air and the aerosol particles it contains typically rise to the ceiling of a room. An important tool in the investigation was a series of inexpensive, heatable dummies that simulated people in a room.
Source: TU Graz
