Development of a Non-contact Modular Screening Center (NCMSC) for COVID-19

Abstract

Under the global landscape of the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, the number of individuals who need to be tested for COVID-19 through screening centers is increasing. However, there is a risk of cross-infection at each stage of the screening process. To address the risk of cross-infection in the screening center during the COVID-19 testing process, a non-contact modular screening center (NCMSC) was developed that uses biosafety cabinets and negative pressure booths to improve the problems of existing screening centers and enable safe, fast, and convenient COVID-19 testing. The main purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of the cross-infection prevention of viruses and ventilation performance for rapid virus removal from the indoor space using both numerical analysis and experimental measurements. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were used to determine the ventilation rate and pressure difference. We also characterized the airflow dynamics of NCMSCs using the particle image velocimetry (PIV). Moreover, design optimization was performed with three alternatives based on the air change rates and the balance of supply air (SA)/exhaust air (EA) as a ventilation strategy for preventing viral transmission.