Investigating dilution ventilation control strategies in a modern U.S. school bus in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic

This article reports on a study undertaken was to evaluate the effects of selected ventilation strategies on air change rates in school buses. The authors measured air changes per hour (ACH) of outside air using a well-established carbon dioxide (CO2) tracer gas decay method. Measurements were taken both while the buses were stationary and during travel on a regular route, in Colorado, during fall and winter months. The CO2 sensors were placed at the driver’s seat and in the front, middle, and rear of the bus. Ventilation strategies tested alone and in combination included operating the windshield defroster, opening two ceiling hatches (with a powered fan on the rear hatch), opening six passenger windows in the middle area of the bus to an opening of 2 inches, opening every other passenger window, and opening the driver’s window to an opening of 4 inches. The best ventilation was achieved by using the defroster, open ceiling hatches, driver window open 4 inches, and every other passenger window open 2 inches. The authors discuss the implications of their findings in light of the Covid-19 pandemic and as a strategy to reduce airborne viral transmissions of any type. The authors conclude that implementation of readily available passive and active ventilation measures investigated may greatly increase average ACH inside school buses.

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  • English

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  • Accession Number: 01858966
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Files: TRIS
  • Created Date: Sep 26 2022 9:10AM