Thermal Comfort and Indoor Air Quality Assessment of a Single-bed Intensive Care Unit Using Impinging Jet Ventilation

Thermal comfort and indoor air quality in intensive care units (ICUs) are strongly influenced by ventilation strategy and airflow organization. This study presents a combined experimental and numerical investigation of a simplified single-bed ICU room ventilated using an impinging jet ventilation (IJV) system. The effects of air change rate (۱۶ ACH and ۱۸ ACH) and outlet configuration (single and split outlet) on airflow distribution, thermal stratification, indoor air quality, and thermal comfort were systematically evaluated. Experimental measurements were conducted under controlled conditions and used to validate three-dimensional steady-state CFD simulations. The numerical results showed good agreement with experiments, with deviations in air velocity limited to ۰.۰۵–۰.۱ m/s and temperature variations within measurement uncertainty. The IJV system maintained low air velocities (< ۰.۳ m/s) and acceptable temperature ranges (۲۴–۲۷ °C) within the occupied zone. Indoor air quality assessment indicated mean CO₂ concentrations below recommended limits, while the split-outlet configuration enhanced contaminant removal by promoting upward transport and reducing recirculation zones. Thermal comfort analysis showed Predicted Mean Vote values within −۰.۵ to +۰.۵ and Predicted Percentage of Dissatisfied below ۱۰%. The split-outlet configuration at ۱۶ ACH provided the most balanced performance. Although energy consumption was not explicitly quantified, reduced airflow suggests potential for improved energy performance. The findings provide experimentally validated insights for optimizing ICU ventilation strategies.

کلیدواژه ها:

Indoor environmental quality ، Ventilation effectiveness ، Carbon dioxide dispersion ، Air distribution strategy ، Computational fluid dynamics