Experimental Evaluation of a Markov Multizone Model of Particulate Contaminant Transport

The performance of a Markov chain model of the three-dimensional transport of particulates in indoor environments is evaluated against experimentally measured supermicrometer particle deposition. Previously, the model was found to replicate the predictions of relatively simple particle transport and fate models; and this work represents the next step in model evaluation. The experiments modeled were (i) the release of polydispersed particles inside a building lobby, and (ii) the release of monodispersed fluorescein-tagged particles inside an experimental chamber under natural and forced mixing. The Markov model was able to reproduce the spatial patterns of particle deposition in both experiments, though the model predictions were sensitive to the parameterization of the particle release mechanism in the second experiment. Overall, the results indicate that the Markov model is a plausible tool for modeling the fate and transport of supermicrometer particles.