CEAT researcher part of team recognized for their efforts battling COVID-19
Monday, January 25, 2021
Dr. Yu Feng, assistant professor in chemical engineering, is part of a team comprised of independent researchers and Ansys Simulation Software employees that was recently awarded a Pillar World Award for Company Innovation of the Year for their work researching COVID-19.
The team’s goal was to observe and simulate the potential threat of COVID-19 spread through exhaled air molecules. Namely, how does a person’s exhaled aerosol behave in differing environments and what precautions should be taken to properly ensure safety in those environments. The team ran simulations for numerous environmental situations with differing wind velocities and directions, different atmospheric conditions, as well as whether a subject was moving or standing still. The team also used computer simulations to evaluate the mitigation effectiveness using portable ultraviolet (UV) air cleaners to reduce the exposure risks for physicians in patient rooms.
The research conducted proved instrumental to health professionals in determining proper precautions needed in different environments to ensure the safety of every person facing potential exposure. “Our research was very interesting,” Feng said. “We were able to apply first principles and computational fluid-particle dynamics methods to a problem that the entire world was facing, and hopefully make an impact on the fight against COVID-19.”
Feng believes that this initial research will be a great foundation for further studies conducted on how exhaled virus-laden droplets behave in an enclosed environment, such as a theater, auditorium, library, restaurant or classroom, and how a smart ventilation system design or portable filtration systems will change the dynamics of that behavior. “This research will be extremely beneficial to further research on the behaviors of exhaled aerosols in many different environments,” Feng said.
The Pillar World Awards are given annually in a myriad of categories which all recognize organizations of all types and sizes for outstanding achievements and performances and the people behind their success. “The award is an immense honor for me,” Feng said. “I’m hopeful that my research played a role in the fight against this global pandemic.”
MEDIA CONTACT: Jeff Hopper | CEAT Marketing | 405-744-2745 | jeff.hopper@okstate.edu