A Virus Removal from operating Room CFD-DPM Fluent simulation is a computer model used to study how to keep the air in an operating room clean. This Infection Control Simulation is critical for patient safety. In hospitals, we must remove tiny, airborne virus particles to prevent infections during surgery. A Operating Room HVAC CFD analysis helps engineers design better ventilation systems. We use a powerful tool in ANSYS Fluent called the Discrete Phase Model (DPM) to see where virus particles go. This CFD for Healthcare Facilities analysis shows how airflow patterns can either trap particles or remove them effectively, helping us to design safer surgical environments.

Simulation Process: Fluent Setup, DPM with Species Transport for Unsteady Particle Tracking

For this Virus Removal from Operating Room CFD-DPM study, we created a detailed 3D model of the operating room. In ANSYS Fluent, we used the Species Transport model to define the main fluid, which is the air mixture in the room. To track the virus particles, we activated the Discrete Phase Model (DPM), modeling the particles as droplets. Because we need to see how the particles move and where they go over time, we performed an unsteady particle tracking simulation. It was critical to use 2-way coupling. This means the air pushes the particles, and the particles also affect the airflow. We also enabled 2-way turbulence coupling, which correctly models how the presence of particles changes the air’s turbulence, and how that turbulence spreads the particles. To make the simulation more realistic, we considered the breakup of larger droplets, which can shatter into smaller, more dangerous aerosols. Finally, we set up injection points at the breathing zones of the patient and staff to release a continuous stream of virus particles.

Figure 1: The 3D geometry of the operating room used for the Healthcare Facility Ventilation CFD simulation, including key equipment and HVAC components.

Post-processing: CFD-DPM Analysis, Linking Airflow Patterns to Contamination Risk

The contour of particle residence time acts as a diagnostic map for contamination risk. From an engineering standpoint, this result is not just a picture; it is a clear warning. The analysis shows that while many particles are removed quickly, there is a dangerous cluster of particles in the lower-right region with a long residence time, up to 0.081 seconds. This value means particles are getting “stuck” in this area instead of being removed by the HVAC system. This creates a contamination hot spot, a zone where the risk of infection for staff or the patient is significantly higher. This is a critical finding that the ventilation system is not performing perfectly.

Figure 2 A contour of particle residence time from the CFD-DPM Fluent simulation, showing the distribution of virus particles and identifying areas of high contamination risk.

The velocity streamlines and particle velocity contours explain why this hot spot exists. The streamlines, which show the path of the air, reveal large recirculation zones (swirls or vortexes) in the room. While the air moves fast near the vents, with speeds up to 0.71 m/s, these recirculation zones are areas of slow, churning air. The particle velocity contour confirms this, showing that the particles in the hot spot area are moving very slowly, with speeds as low as 0.04-0.13 m/s. This directly links the cause (bad airflow) to the effect (high contamination risk). The particles are trapped in these slow-moving vortexes and are not being efficiently transported to the exhaust vents. The most important achievement of this simulation is its ability to visually connect the invisible airflow patterns, like recirculation zones, directly to areas of high contamination risk, providing engineers with the exact information needed to redesign the HVAC system to eliminate these dangerous dead zones.

Figure 3: Contours and streamlines from the Operating Room Ventilation Fluent analysis, showing a) the overall airflow patterns (streamlines) and b) the resulting virus particle velocity