Numerical investigation of particle transport and inhalation using standing thermal manikins

Abstract

Our previous study [1] demonstrated that for a thermal manikin in a horizontal airflow, its orientation relative to the free stream has a significant effect on the characteristics of particle transport and inhalation. Based on this conclusion, the previous research [1] was extended and the effect of leg posture (e.g. combined legs and divided legs) on particle inhalation in horizontal free stream was investigated using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) in this study. The numerical results agreed well the experimental data and empirical correlations in the literature. It was revealed that for an occupant standing with its back towards the horizontal airflow, a little change in the leg posture can lead to an obvious variation in the source location of inhaled particles. It was also found that different leg postures have different environment sensitivity since when the manikin legs are divided, the central height of the critical area does not obviously change with increasing wind speed, however, this central height increases significantly with the wind speed when the legs are combined.