Unpublished Paper
Predicted Performance of Idealized Multi-layer Fibrous Filter Media with Multi-mechanism Aerosol Capture by Individual Fibers--Illustrative Calculations for 'N95'-Type Filter Media (June 12, 2020 state)
(2020)
Abstract
By exploiting our recent multi-mechanism semi-analytical approach to predicting aerosol capture by a single fiber in low Re crossflow (see, eg., Arias-Zugasti et al, Aersol Sci Tech, vol 53, No.12, pp 1367-1380(2019)) we show that the aerosol capture performance of a typical “electrically discharged” 3-layer fibrous filter, examined here at air velocities in the range 5-15 cm/s, is not adequate (ie., much greater than 5 pct penetration for suspended particles of 0.3 micron diam.), but can be ‘rescued’ without excessive pressure drop by substituting a much smaller fiber diameter active layer (of comparable solid fraction and even reduced thickness). Our new predictive methods, present numerical illustrations, and accompanying discussion, have implications for (re-)designing or evaluating alternative “respirator masks”, including those proposed for mitigating the present airborne SARS-CoV-2 threat.
Keywords
- Aerosols,
- Diffusion,
- Particle transport,
- Capture efficiency,
- fibrous filter theory,
- multi-layer aerosol filters (N-95 type),
- multi-mechanism aerosol capture
Disciplines
Publication Date
Summer June 12, 2020
Comments
Profs. Rosner and Arias-Zugasti will welcome your timely feedback on any aspect of this new paper, including its two present Appendices [One dealing with the sensitivity of predicted fibrous filter performance to changes in filter solid fraction, the 2d dealing with the role of subcritical particle inertia in enhancing the capture of intrinsically dense (possibly valuable and/or toxic) aerosol materials, even if the particles are sub-micron! ]
Corresponding author: daniel.rosner@yale.edu
Citation Information
Daniel E. Rosner and Manuel Arias-Zugasti. "Predicted Performance of Idealized Multi-layer Fibrous Filter Media with Multi-mechanism Aerosol Capture by Individual Fibers--Illustrative Calculations for 'N95'-Type Filter Media (June 12, 2020 state)" (2020) Available at: http://works.bepress.com/daniel-rosner/4/