Particle transport characteristics in indoor environment with an air cleaner

Abstract

Air cleaner is one of the viable options for particle removal in the indoor environment. Therefore, it is vital to understand the performances of air cleaners under various working conditions. In this work, the models for airflow pattern and particle transport in a room with an air cleaner were developed by combining the Lagrangian discrete trajectory model with the Eulerian fluid method. The effects of the operating conditions of the air cleaner on the particle transport characteristics were numerically investigated, including the volumetric flow rate and positioning of the air cleaner as well as the ejection orientation of the outlet air. The results show that the volumetric flow rate of the air cleaner is a key parameter affecting the particle concentration in the indoor environment. At low volumetric flow rates, the location of the air cleaner plays a significant role in the air cleaner performance. There is little difference in the removal processes of airborne particles between the horizontal and upward ejections of the air cleaner, but they are both superior to that with the downward ejection.