THE EFFECT OF CONTAMINANT SOURCE MOMENTUM ON A WORKER'S BREATHING ZONE CONCENTRATION IN A UNIFORM FREESTREAM

Abstract

Several factors affecting breathing zone concentration were examined in a paint spray booth by using a tracer gas method. The variables in the study include contaminant momentum, the presence of a flat plate downstream of the worker, the distance between the contaminant source and the body, and the worker's motion. A dramatic reduction in breathing zone concentration was observed when the spray gun emitted contaminants with high momentum. Reductions of 30-50% were observed because of the other variables. The source momentum effect was studied, subsequently, in a wind tunnel by measuring the breathing zone concentration of a mannequin with various flows through jets of different diameter, at varying freestream velocities. A functional relationship was determined between nondimensional breathing zone concentration and contaminant source momentum. This relationship is supported by numerical simulations. The effect of contaminant momentum on the near-wake flow field is discussed in conjunction with results from the numerical simulations.