CFD Analysis of Coronavirus Dispersion through Breathing in Aircraft Cabin Environments

Authors

  • Muhammad Asral Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universitas Riau, Pekanbaru, 28293, Indonesia
  • Ridwan Abdurrahman Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universitas Riau, Pekanbaru, 28293, Indonesia
  • Wai Chang Khoo Faculty of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Batu Pahat, 86400, Malaysia
  • Ishkrizat Taib Faculty of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Batu Pahat, 86400, Malaysia
  • Nur Amani Hanis Roseman Faculty of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Batu Pahat, 86400, Malaysia
  • Kar Hoe Kong Faculty of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Batu Pahat, 86400, Malaysia
  • Cheng San Lee Faculty of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Batu Pahat, 86400, Malaysia
  • Khairul Shafaiz Jesni Faculty of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Batu Pahat, 86400, Malaysia
  • Awaludin Martin Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universitas Riau, Pekanbaru, 28293, Indonesia

Keywords:

Coronavirus, COVID-19, Breathing, Simulation, Computational fluid dynamic, Air cabin, Flow characteristics, Velocity, Pressure

Abstract

In 2019, the coronavirus rapidly spread worldwide and was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). As the world is currently in the post-COVID stage, many sectors, including air travel, are being reopened. To understand the flow characteristics in aircraft cabins due to the breathing of a coronavirus patient, a simulation was conducted using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). In this study, a simplified 7-row commercial aircraft cabin was modelled. In addition, a human manikin was designed to simulate the breathing of a coronavirus patient in the cabin. The simulation was conducted using ANSYS Fluent with an inlet velocity of 1 m/s for the cabin air, an outlet pressure of 84,475.3 Pa, and a human breathing velocity of 1.3 m/s. The results showed that the breathing of a coronavirus patient could affect passengers seated up to three rows in front of the patient on both sides of the cabin. Further research is needed to consider other factors that can influence the flow characteristics of a coronavirus patient's breath, such as temperature, humidity, and other velocity ranges.  

Author Biographies

Muhammad Asral, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universitas Riau, Pekanbaru, 28293, Indonesia

asral@lecturer.unri.ac.id

Ridwan Abdurrahman, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universitas Riau, Pekanbaru, 28293, Indonesia

ridwanabdurrahman@lecturer.unri.ac.id

Wai Chang Khoo, Faculty of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Batu Pahat, 86400, Malaysia

ad180220@student.uthm.edu.my

Ishkrizat Taib, Faculty of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Batu Pahat, 86400, Malaysia

iszat@uthm.edu.my

Nur Amani Hanis Roseman, Faculty of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Batu Pahat, 86400, Malaysia

hd220017@student.uthm.edu.my

Kar Hoe Kong, Faculty of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Batu Pahat, 86400, Malaysia

ad180239@student.uthm.edu.my

Cheng San Lee, Faculty of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Batu Pahat, 86400, Malaysia

ad180232@student.uthm.edu.my

Khairul Shafaiz Jesni, Faculty of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Batu Pahat, 86400, Malaysia

dd180080@student.uthm.edu.my

Awaludin Martin, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universitas Riau, Pekanbaru, 28293, Indonesia

awaludinmartin@lecturer.unri.ac.id

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Published

2024-08-19

Issue

Vol. 1 No. 1: June (2024)

Section

Articles