Spatial Distribution of Indoor Aerosol Deposition Under Accidental Release Conditions

Indoor aerosol dispersion and particle deposition was investigated using a series of puff releases of nonspecific activatable tracers simulating an accidental source. Initial particle size distribution included the respirable range, with most of the particles between 0.5 to 5.0 microm. Tracers were released in a nuclear laboratory/work environment and were collected via passive collector foils to obtain the spatial distribution of deposition. The observed distribution characteristics did not always correspond to the measured air flow patterns, and they showed a non-negligible dependence on aerosol dynamics such as thermophoretic effects. The collected data represent integrated deposition flux, which can serve for validation of aerosol dynamics models that aim to predict the deposition fluence of particles and may also be used for planning surface contamination surveys following accidental releases.