Experimental validation of local exhaust strategies for improved IAQ in aircraft cabins

This experimental study examines the effectiveness of using local exhaust to mitigate cross-contamination within an aircraft cabin. Results of a previous computational fluid dynamics (CFD) study indicate significant improvements over conventional cabin mixing air ventilation systems with an average decrease in passenger exposure to body-emitted contaminants upwards of 60% predicted. This is accomplished through the use of localized suction orifices placed near and around the source passengers which are designed to unobtrusively ingest the individual’s thermal plume and exhaust it from the aircraft cabin before contaminants entrained in the plume can mix with the bulk air supply. To further test and validate the localized exhaust strategies already simulated through CFD, an extensive experimental tracer gas study has been conducted in a business-class cabin mockup and is presented here. Experimental results agree with earlier CFD work and show reductions in exposure to armpit-released contaminants of 30–60% using similar suction methodologies and up to 90% reduction with enhanced designs.