Modeling and multiobjective optimization of indoor airborne disease transmission risk and associated energy consumption for building HVAC systems.

The COVID-19 pandemic has renewed interest in assessing how the operation of HVAC systems influences the risk of airborne disease transmission in buildings. Various processes, such as ventilation and filtration, have been shown to reduce the probability of disease spread by removing or deactivating exhaled aerosols that potentially contain infectious material. However, such qualitative recommendations fail to specify of these or other disinfection techniques are needed to achieve acceptable risk levels in a particular space.