Optimization of Ventilation Register Locations for Reducing Suspended Particle Concentration Using the Taguchi Method

Abstract

In the present study, the Multi-Relaxation Time Lattice Boltzmann method (MRT-LBM) was employed to solve the airflow inside a scaled room model with dimensions of 0.914×0.457×0.305 m. This room model is considered a representative space with a 1:10 scale to an actual room. The selected room is equipped with a ventilation system. For optimizing the inlet and outlet locations of the airflow, 32 different positions in terms of length, width, and height for the inlet and 4 positions for the outlet were considered. The Taguchi method was utilized for optimizing the inlet and outlet locations, reducing the required number of experiments from 128 to 16. To assess the number of suspended particles, 86400 particles with a size of 1µm were injected into the room. Then, the particle behaviors were examined for a total duration of 60 seconds. The obtained results indicate that the location of the air conditioning system significantly influences the concentration of airborne particles responsible for disease transmission. Utilizing the Taguchi optimization method, optimal positions for the inlet and outlet air were determined to minimize the number of suspended particles in the room (the best position) and maximize it (the worst position).

Keywords

• optimization
• airborne particles
• mrt-lbm
• taguchi method