University of Alberta researchers are studying how heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems can be made smart enough to control the spread of COVID-19.
“If you look at the HVAC systems out there, most of them are designed for that [cost-effectiveness]”says Yousef Alipouri, a postdoctoral engineer working on intelligent controls for ventilation systems to protect public health.
“They are not designed for infection control at all.”
Public health organizations, including Alberta Health Services, have found that poor HVAC systems can contribute to the spread of disease through airborne transmission.
Radioactive7:41Investigation of better room ventilation during COVID-19
Local research is ongoing to help us breathe easier regarding indoor air quality in the age of COVID-19. 7:41
The core of Alipouri’s project is to develop an HVAC system that uses machine learning to respond to conditions that would help spread viruses.
If these systems are operated continuously to limit spread, a lot of energy and money is consumed.
“We have to find a compromise between energy costs and avoiding the spread,” Alipouri said in an interview with CBC’s Radio Active.
He says the hardware isn’t too expensive.
“Most things will be the program,” he said.
Alipouri envisions sensors and cameras that record, but not record, the extent to which a mask is worn or symptomatic body movements such as coughing or sneezing. These are analyzed by a program in order to increase the ventilation flow if necessary.
Alipouri is a postdoctoral fellow in engineering at the University of Alberta. (Submitted by Yousef Alipouri)
Another reactive measure would be to increase the humidity and temperature to a point that is not conducive to spreading.
This “pandemic mode” could also be programmed to change at specific times, such as two hours before and after occupancy, as recommended by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers, Alipouri said.
The project is funded by the Alberta Innovates Graduate Fellowship in Health Innovation and is scheduled to last two years. Alipouri said they are currently designing the system in the first phase of the project.
In the second phase, a simulation will be created in Edmonton to test the effectiveness of the system indoors.
Even with COVID-19 under control, this type of smart air conditioning would be vital in the event of another pandemic, Alipouri said.
“We also want something for the future for all other infection controls.”
Alipouri sees it in an industrial setting, in places where large numbers of people gather, such as hospitals and shopping malls.
“Now they are affected by the pandemic and face a shutdown,” he said. “If we can prevent this in indoor buildings, everyone can benefit from it.”
