284: Airflow-Pathogen Spread Dynamics: A Cfd-Abs Approach To Optimizing Ventilation and Filtration Strategies To Reduce Risk

Building ventilation systems are crucial in airborne transmission, yet current standards (ASHRAE) while meeting indoor air quality (IAQ) requirements, fall short in high-intensity environments like gyms due to high occupancy, prolonged interactions, and elevated respiratory rates. This study examines airborne pathogen risks using a Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Gym, addressing the aerosol dispersion from equipment induced forced convection and occupant thermal plumes as well as the effectiveness of transitioning from MERV-13 filtration system. An integrated framework synthesizes computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and agent-based simulation (ABS) to examine ventilation strategies (mixing vs. displacement) and MERV-13 filtration efficiency for reducing pathogen exposure. The CFD model simulates equipment and thermal induced airflow, incorporating HVAC boundary conditions including air change rates, stratification and filtration. Simulations, validated using Wells-Riley model and contaminant removal effectiveness (CRE), will indicate induced convection increases horizontal pathogen dissemination by 50%. While MERV-13 filtration significantly reduces concentration despite superspreader impact.