Impact of partitions on droplet transmission in a bus: A numerical study

The bus cabin is a potential hotspot for virus transmission via aerosols, where social distancing cannot be strictly applied due to its confined space and large number of passengers. Therefore, this makes it important to look into how droplets travel in buses and find ways to lower the chances of catching airborne infections. In this study, we examined how partitions affect the movement of cough droplets in buses using computer simulations, and droplets with different particle sizes and infected persons in different locations were considered in the study. The flow field in the cabin was predicted using numerical computation, and the droplets emitted by the infected person were tracked with the Lagrangian method. Droplet concentrations within the breathing area of each passenger, deposition characteristics, and escape rates of droplets were analyzed. The results of the study show that the installation of partitions between passengers in the bus limits the transport of droplets in the lateral direction, which in turn promotes droplet settlement. Moreover, it can effectively reduce the concentration of droplets in the passenger breathing area, thereby reducing the chance of infection for passengers.