The presence of airborne pathogenic particles in a closed space represents a health risk, especially in hospitals where the probability of exposure to bioaerosols is very high for health personnel and even visitors. In particular, a thanatopraxy room represents a potential source of infection and it is essential to guarantee good indoor air quality in this type of space. On the basis of the hierarchy of preventive measures in industrial hygiene, ventilation is the most effective solution for reducing the exposure of workers to bioaerosols, since elimination and substitution cannot be implemented. However, the performance of a ventilation system depends on several parameters, including the air change per hour and the blowing strategy.
The objective of this thesis is to evaluate by numerical simulation (CFD) the influence of the air changes per hour (ACH) and the ventilation scenario on the aerodynamic behavior of bioaerosols in a thanatopraxy room. Numerical modeling was performed using Fire Dynamic Simulator (FDS) software which is based on the Large Scale Simulation (LES) method. Following validation of the digital code with the tracer gas technique, the simulations made it possible to estimate the average age of the air, the bioaerosol removal efficiency, the relative bioaerosol dose in the breathing zone and the mass fraction of bioaerosols deposited on the ground.
The main results of this study show the influence of the air changes per hour (ACH) and the ventilation strategy on the indoor air quality of the thanatopraxy room studied. This study made it possible to numerically estimate the concentration of bioaerosols in the respiratory area of thanatopractors, the average age of the air, the fraction of bioaerosols deposited on the floor and the efficiency of ventilation in the thanatopraxy room.
Based on these results, recommendations were made to improve the efficiency of the ventilation system by reducing the concentration of bioaerosols in the thanatopraxy room.
| Date | 11 Jun 2020 |
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| Original language | French |
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| Awarding Institution | - École de technologie supérieure
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| Supervisor | Stéphane Hallé (Supervisor) |
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Chebil, J. (Author),
Hallé (Supervisor),
11 Jun 2020Student thesis: Master's thesis › Master in Engineering: Mechanical Engineering