Multi-phase simulation of infected respiratory cloud transmission in air

In the face of the increasing death toll of the COVID-19 global pandemic, countries around the world have instituted restrictive measures to mitigate the serious effects of the pandemic. Human-to-human transmission of COVID-19 occurs primarily through large droplets that are expelled with sufficient momentum to come in direct contact with the recipients' mouth. Therefore, the physics of flow is central to transmission of COVID-19. Respiratory infections increase the frequency of violent expiration, including coughing and sneezing that are particularly effective in dispersing virus-carrying droplets. Moreover, the high viral load in droplets of asymptomatic hosts that are expelled during respiratory activities is contributing to the rapid growth of the COVID-19 global pandemic. The present study uses 2D smoothed-particle-hydrodynamics multi-phase simulations of the fluid dynamics of violent expiratory events in order to obtain a deeper understanding of the multi-phase nature of respiratory clouds, which can help determine separation distances from an infected person needed to minimize respiratory transmission. Our results indicate that there are three phases of jet cloud flow: the first is dominated by no-buoyancy jet-like dynamics characterized by a high speed, the second is dominated by negative buoyancy, and the third is dominated by gravity that deflects the cloud downward. Moreover, two modes of jet behavior that differ in dilution have been identified to be a function of distance from the human mouth. This work is of direct relevance to studies on the spread of COVID-19 and similar outbreaks in the future

Outcomes from elective colorectal cancer surgery during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

This study aimed to describe the change in surgical practice and the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on mortality after surgical resection of colorectal cancer during the initial phases of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

SPH Modelling of Hydraulic Jump Oscillations at an Abrupt Drop

This paper shows the results of the numerical modelling of the transition from supercritical to subcritical flow at an abrupt drop, which can be characterised by the occurrence of oscillatory flow conditions between two different jump types. Weakly-Compressible Smoothed Particle (WCSPH) model was employed and both an algebraic mixing-length model and a two-equation model were used to represent turbulent stresses. The purpose of this paper is to obtain through the SPH model a deeper understanding of the physical features of a flow, which is, in general, difficult to be reproduced numerically, owing to its unstable character. In particular, the experience already gained in SPH simulations of vorticity-dominated flows allows one to assess the fluctuations of hydrodynamic characteristics of the flow field, (e.g., free surface profile downstream of the jump, velocity, pressure and vorticity). Numerical results showed satisfactory agreement with measurements and most of the peculiar features of the flow were qualitatively and quantitatively reproduced

Management of Dredging Activities in a Highly Vulnerable Site: Simulation Modelling and Monitoring Activity

Unfortunately, more and more contaminants, such as heavy metals and other organic micro-pollutants, degrade the good ecological status of marine systems. The removal of contaminated sediments from harbours through dredging activities may cause harmful changes in the environment. This present work shows how monitoring the activity and validated numerical models can be of great help to dredging activities that can cause environmental impacts due to the increase of the suspended solid concentration (SSC) and their dispersion and deposition far from the dredging point. This study is applied to a hypothetical dredging project in a very vulnerable coastal site in Southern Italy, the Mar Piccolo Basin. A statistical analysis of the simulated parameter SSC was carried out to numerically estimate its spatial (vertical and horizontal) variability, thereby allowing an evaluation of the potential environmental effects on the coastal area

Hydrodynamics of Regular Breaking Wave

Turbulence and undertow currents play an important role in surf-zone mixing and transport processes; therefore, their study is fundamental for the understanding of nearshore dynamics and the related planning and management of coastal engineering activities. Pioneering studies qualitatively described the features of breakers in the outer region of the surf zone. More detailed information on the velocity field under spilling and plunging breakers can be found in experimental works, where single-point measurement techniques, such as Hot Wire Anemometry and Laser Doppler Anemometry (LDA), were used to provide maps of the flow field in a time-averaged or ensemble-averaged sense. Moreover, the advent of non-intrusive measuring techniques, such as Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) provided accurate and detailed instantaneous spatial maps of the flow field. However, by correlating spatial gradients of the measured velocity components, the instantaneous vorticity maps could be deduced. Moreover, the difficulties of measuring velocity due to the existence of air bubbles entrained by the plunging jet have hindered many experimental studies on wave breaking encouraging the development of numerical model as useful tool to assisting in the interpretation and even the discovery of new phenomena. Therefore, the development of an WCSPH method using the RANS equations coupled with a two-equation k–ε model for turbulent stresses has been employed to study of the turbulence and vorticity distributions in in the breaking region observing that these two aspects greatly influence many coastal processes, such as undertow currents, sediment transport and action on maritime structures

Laboratory experiments and SPH modelling of hydraulic jumps

The formation of a hydraulic jump in a channel downstream of a spillway with developed upstream flow was investigated and reproduced using the SPH numerical model. The hydraulic jump is an important type of energy dissipation structure in hydraulic engineering. Such structures are subjected to considerable pressure fluctuations due to the dynamics of turbulence inside the hydraulic jump. The literature on the macroscopic features of the hydraulic jump is very extensive, but many characteristics of the internal flow phenomena remain unanswered. The hydraulic jump is a fascinating turbulent flow motion that remains poorly understood. The implemented numerical code was first tested using physical experiments on subcritical flow motion by Ben Meftah et al. (2007; 2008). In particular, it is applied to the modelling of an undular jump generated in a very large channel of the Coastal Engineering Laboratory of the Water Engineering and Chemistry Department of the Technical University of Bari (Italy). The undular jump is formed by low supercritical inflow Froude numbers, and is characterized by undulations of the water surface without a surface roller. The flow velocity and the free surface elevation measurements were taken using a two-dimensional Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter (ADV) and an ultrasonic profiler, respectively. SPH simulations were obtained by a pseudo-compressible XSPH scheme with pressure smoothing; eddy viscosity is evaluated through a mixing-length model depending on the distance from the channel bottom and from the free surface. The study made particular reference to the velocity and free surface profile with the aim of analysing the hydraulic jump development. The agreement between the numerical results and laboratory measurements was satisfactory

SPH modelling of hydraulic jump oscillations at an abrupt drop

This paper shows the results of the numerical modelling of the transition from supercritical to subcritical flow at an abrupt drop, which can be characterised by the occurrence of oscillatory flow conditions between two different jump types. Weakly-Compressible Smoothed Particle (WCSPH) model was employed and both an algebraic mixing-length model and a two equation model were used to represent turbulent stresses. The purpose of this paper is to obtain through the SPH model a deeper understanding of the physical features of a flow, which is, in general, difficult to be reproduced numerically, owing to its unstable character. In particular, the experience already gained in SPH simulations of vorticity-dominated flows allows one to assess the fluctuations of hydrodynamic characteristics of the flow field, (e.g., free surface profile downstream of the jump, velocity, pressure and vorticity). Numerical results showed satisfactory agreement with measurements and most of the peculiar features of the flow were qualitatively and quantitatively reproduced

SPH numerical investigation of the velocity field and vorticity generation within a hydrofoil-induced spilling breaker

In the present work, the velocity field and the vorticity generation in the spilling generated by a NACA 0024 hydrofoil were studied. SPH simulations were obtained by a pseudo-compressible XSPH scheme with pressure smoothing; both an algebraic mixing-length model and a two-equation model were used to represent turbulent stresses. Given the key role of vortical motions in the generation of the spilling breaker, the sources of vorticity were then examined in detail to confirm the interpretation of the mean flow vortical dynamics given in a paper by Dabiri and Gharib (J Fluid Mech 330: 113–139, 1997). The high precision of the SPH model is confirmed through a comparison with experimental data. Experimental investigations were carried out by measuring the velocity field with a backscatter, two-component four-beam optic-fiber LDA system. The agreement between the numerical results and laboratory measurements in the wake region is satisfactory and allows the evaluation of the wave breaking efficiency of the device by a detailed analysis of the simulated flow field

SPH numerical investigation of oscillating characteristics of hydraulic jumps

In the present work, oscillating characteristics and cyclic mechanisms in hydraulic jumps are investigated and reproduced using a weakly-compressible XSPH scheme which includes both an algebraic mixing-length model and a two-equation turbulence model to represent turbulent stresses. The numerical model is applied to analyze oscillations of different hydraulic jump types based on the laboratory experiments. The comparison between SPH and experimental results shows an influence of different turbulence models on the amplitude spectrum and peak amplitude of the time-dependent surface elevation upstream and downstream of the hydraulic jump. By analyzing a single cycle of the oscillating phenomena of a hydraulic jump it is possible to indicate their correlation with the vortex structures of the roller. Furthermore, analysis of the oscillating phenomena indicates a correlation among the surface profile elevations, velocity components and pressure fluctuations. This observation leads to conclude that oscillations phenomena are particularly important for analysis of the turbulence characteristics