A CFD study to explore the impact of classroom dimensions and infector location on indoor air quality

¹ Department of Mechanical Engineering, Aalto University, Espoo, 02150, Finland
² College of Urban Construction, Nanjing Tech University, China

Abstract

This study investigates the influence of infector location and classroom size on indoor air quality, utilizing CO2 as a tracer gas. We employ Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations, focusing on the local air quality index as a crucial evaluation parameter. Our research underscores the intricate relationship between infector location, classroom size, and ventilation effectiveness. In a learning environment comprising 16 students and one teacher, larger classrooms, approximately 2.3 times in size, demonstrated the potential to reduce the number of vulnerable students. However, the occupants in the proximity to the infector may still face an increased risk of exposure. The CFD results exhibit that the increasing size (dimensions) of the teaching space significantly reduced the number of vulnerable occupants in all simulated test cases. Moreover, our study also reveals that, when the infector is located near return openings, it not only enhances air quality in its immediate vicinity but also positively influences the overall classroom space.