An experimental study on ventilation efficiency of isolation room

This paper presents an experimental modeling of contaminant dispersion in a mock-up isolation room with different negative pressure differentials and ventilation rates. A hypothetical contaminant (sulfur hexafluoride, SF6) is emitted from a patient lying on a bed in the mock-up isolation room. The impacts of ventilation rates 12 and 24 h−1 and pressure differentials −2.5, −5.0, −8.0, and −15.0 Pa on the ventilation effectiveness in the room are evaluated quantitatively. A local air quality index and an exposure index for healthcare workers are introduced in the research to evaluate the ventilation efficiency of the isolation room. Based on the results of our experiment, the ventilation efficiency of the isolation room ranks the highest at −15.0 Pa/24 h−1, followed, respectively, by −15.0 Pa/12 h−1, −8.0 Pa/24 h−1, −5.0 Pa/24 h−1, −2.5 Pa/24 h−1, −8.0 Pa/12 h−1, −5.0 Pa/12 h−1, and −2.5 Pa/12 h−1.