Sequential Multiscale Simulation of a Filtering Facepiece for Prediction of Filtration Efficiency and Resistance in Varied Particulate Scenarios

Abstract

This study explores a novel approach of multiscale modeling and simulation to characterize the filtration behavior of a facepiece in varied particulate conditions. Sequential multiscale modeling was performed for filter media, filtering facepiece, and testing setup. The developed virtual models were validated for their morphological characteristics and filtration performance by comparing with the data from the physical experiments. Then, a virtual test was conducted in consideration of a time scale, simulating diverse particulate environments with different levels of particle size distribution, particle concentration, and face velocity. An environment with small particles and high mass concentration resulted in a rapid buildup of resistance, reducing the service life. Large particles were accumulated mostly at the entrance of the filter layer, resulting in a lower penetration and slower buildup of resistance. This study is significant in that the adopted virtual approach enables the prediction of filtration behavior and service life, applying diverse environmental conditions without involving the costs of extra setups for the physical experiments. This study demonstrates a novel and economic research method that can be effectively applied to the research and development of filters.

Facile Preparation of PET/PA6 Bicomponent Microfilament Fabrics with Tunable Porosity for Comfortable Medical Protective Clothing

“…Medical protective clothing is a vital medical component utilized to treat patients and safeguard medical personnel in medical places. − Various microfiber fabrics are now being considered for use in medical protective gear due to their desirable properties of a high specific surface area − and high flexibility. , In public health emergencies of worldwide importance, medical protective equipment successfully minimizes the risk of infection through liquid proofing and particle filtration. − However, restriction of comfort performance in poor ventilation and unpleasant contact is difficult to avoid for long-term usage of medical protective garments.…”

Modeling the filtration efficiency of a woven fabric: The role of multiple lengthscales

“…The non-woven filters in surgical masks and respirators (such as the European standard FFP and American standard N95 respirators) force the air around single fibers of typical size around 5 μ m. 11 This smaller lengthscale for the curvature of streamlines in surgical masks brings inertial filtration into play for droplets around a few micrometers in diameter. 10 This makes inertial filtration much more effective for surgical masks and respirators than for woven fabrics, for particles one or a few micrometers in diameter.…”

“…(b) From left to right, we have an image of a typical surgical mask, and SEM images of the fibers of which it is made. Note that the fibers are randomly distributed, there is no lengthscale above that of the fibers, and the fibers in a filtering inner layer of a surgical masks typically have diameters a little less than 10 μ m, Lee et al 11 quote a mean diameter of 5.5 μ m.…”

“…This work directly measured filtration efficiencies but did not image the fabric in three dimensions. Lee et al , 20 Du et al , 21 and Lee et al 11 imaged the filtration media of surgical masks, 20,21 or of respirators with the surface charges removed, making the filtration media similar to that of many surgical masks. 11 However, Lee et al 20 and Du et al 21 did not use these imaging data to compute filtration efficiencies, while Lee et al 11 only performed relatively limited studies of filtration efficiency.…”

Simulation of particle interception of seamless knitted composite filter material based on the discrete phase model

“…However, the practical application of filtration simulation is complicated, and many theories are still in the ideal stage. [16][17][18] A large number of theoretical studies based on CFD are mostly applied to the filter process of non-woven fiber assemblies. There is little research on the simulation of filtration performance of fabric filters, including woven and knitted.…”