Design and validation of a wind tunnel for viral aerosol filtration testing

Auteurs

Vincent Brochu, Centre de Recherche de l’Institut de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec, axe pneumologie, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada
Gabriel St-Onge, Département de Génie Mécanique, Faculté des Sciences et de Génie, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada
Nathalie Turgeon, Centre de Recherche de l’Institut de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec, axe pneumologie, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada
Marc Veillette, Centre de Recherche de l’Institut de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec, axe pneumologie, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada
Mathieu Olivier, Département de Génie Mécanique, Faculté des Sciences et de Génie, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada
Caroline Duchaine, Centre de Recherche de l’Institut de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec, axe pneumologie, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada

Type de document

Études primaires

Année de publication

2024

Langue

Anglais

Titre de la revue

Aerosol Science and Technology

Première page

301

Dernière page

308

Résumé

Face masks were heavily used during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic to reduce the transmission of the virus by aerosols. These facial barriers are tested in laboratory against particles and bacteria, but their efficiency is not tested for viruses. This study presents a wind tunnel designed to evaluate the filtration efficiency of different material use in face masks against particulates, total viral genomes and assess filtration impact on viral infectivity. The test bench was validated theoretically by mathematical modeling and experimentally by testing the performance of standardized masks against particles and MS2 viruses (Emesvirus zinderi). Results demonstrate that the data obtained for particle filtration was reliable and that filtration efficiency against viruses can be measured with the device. Copyright © 2024 American Association for Aerosol Research. © 2024 American Association for Aerosol Research.

Mots-clés

Soufflerie, Wind tunnel, Maladie virale, Virus disease, Aérosol, Aerosol, Essai de filtres, Filter testing, Équipement de protection respiratoire, Respirator

Numéro de projet IRSST

4513, IRSST-2017-0004

Citation recommandée

Brochu, V., St-Onge, G., Turgeon, N., Veillette, M., Olivier, M. et Duchaine, C. (2024). Design and validation of a wind tunnel for viral aerosol filtration testing. Aerosol Science and Technology, 58(3), 301-308. https://doi.org/10.1080/02786826.2024.2310542