Summary

During the pandemic, the rapid transmission of COVID-19 led to the paralysis of the emergency department. To prevent the spread of infections, it is essential to isolate infected patients in isolation rooms. However, converting all patient beds into isolation rooms is inefficient during non-pandemic periods. In such circumstances, the Temporary Isolation Room (TIR) can offer a practical solution as it can be installed on patient beds during a pandemic and disassembled for storage once the pandemic is over. Although the TIR in this study is equipped with a fan filter unit(FFU), it does not create negative pressure. Therefore, the quantitative performance evaluation of the TIR was conducted through particle experiments in this study. A full-scale chamber experiment was conducted by adjusting the airflow rate of the TIR to four different levels. The particles were generated inside the TIR, and the real-time particle concentration both inside and outside the TIR were monitored. A mathematical model based on the mass-balance was developed to optimize parameters such as removal efficiency, based on the experimental results. The removal efficiency of TIR was over 80% for particles with a diameter of 0.46 μm or larger, regardless of the airflow rate of the TIR. On the other hand, for particles smaller than 0.46 μm, the removal efficiency was below 60% at an airflow rate of 120 m³/h. It was found that to achieve a removal efficiency of over 80%, the TIR needed to operate at an airflow rate of at least 200 m³/h. The methods and results of a quantitative evaluation of the removal efficiency of the TIR, which is equipped with an FFU but does not maintain negative pressure, could contribute to infection control in healthcare facilities.