Comparison between fully resolved and time-averaged simulations of particle cloud dispersion produced by a violent expiratory event.

In this work we compare the DNS results (Fabregat et al. 2021, Fabregat et al. 2021) for a mild cough already reported in the literarure with those obtained with a compressible URANS equations with a k-ϵ turbulence model. In both cases, the dispersed phase has been modelled as spherical Lagrangian particles using the one-way coupling assumption. Overall, the URANS model is capable of reproducing the observed tendency of light particles under 64 µm in diameter to rise due to the action of the drag exerted by the buoyant puff generated by the cough. Both DNS and URANS found that particles above 64 µm will tend to describe parabolic trajectories under the action of gravitational forces. Grid independence analysis allows to qualify the impact of increasing mesh resolution on the particle cloud statistics as flow evolves. Results suggest that the k-ϵ model overpredicts the horizontal displacement of the particles smaller than 64 µm while the opposite occurs for the particles larger than 64 µm. © The Chinese Society of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2022.