HumanIC
Research project
Human - Centric Indoor Climate for Healthcare Facilities (HumanIC)
The HumanIC network aims to build a new approach to hospital environmental design through the concept of a human-centric indoor climate.
NTNU's tasks
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Work Package 1 (WP leader: NTNU) - Fundamental Knowledge and Strategies
- Task 1.3 – (Task leader: NTNU) will focus on the characterisation of turbulent airflow distribution and heat and mass transfer phenomenon of human-centric environment including the presence of medical staff and patients. The following sub tasks will be carried out:
- Characterisation of micro turbulent airflow pattern in the patient microenvironment in operating rooms with surgical facility and staff.
- Experimental investigation of microscale turbulent airflow velocity distribution, temperature fluctuation, air relative humidity, turbulence intensity of airflows, and distribution of airborne pollutants close to a patient in operating rooms.
- Establish theoretical models to understand the heat and mass transfer in the operating micro-environment.
- NTNU is responsible for two ESRs in the project:
- ESR2: focusing on the experimental data collection and modelling of the generation and short-range distribution of airborne microbial pollutant from human activities in hospital environments.
- ESR4: studying the dynamic airflow patterns with low turbulence in surgical microenvironments to enhance infection control in operating rooms.
- Leveraging full-scale laboratory facilities, NTNU's focus will include using breathing thermal manikins to simulate and analyze contaminant behavior under varied airflow distribution strategies.
- Task 1.3 – (Task leader: NTNU) will focus on the characterisation of turbulent airflow distribution and heat and mass transfer phenomenon of human-centric environment including the presence of medical staff and patients. The following sub tasks will be carried out:
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Interdisciplinary Methodologies
- NTNU integrates experimental, numerical, and analytical methods to understand airflow and contaminant interactions in healthcare environments.
- It employs advanced tools such as computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and Particle image velocimetry (PIV) experimental setups to study ventilation effectiveness, contaminant dispersion, and energy efficiency.
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Secondments and Training Support
- Facilitates knowledge sharing through secondments for early-stage researchers (ESRs), enabling collaborative work with other academic and industrial partners, including contributions to other ESRs.
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Network-Wide Training and Courses
- NTNU contributes to training programs, such as:
- Advanced Experimental Techniques (e.g., measuring turbulent airflow and ventilation parameters).
- Ethical Researcher Training, focusing on responsible innovation and managing research data.
- Local training programs at NTNU include courses in advanced fluid mechanics, heat transfer, and transport phenomena.
- NTNU contributes to training programs, such as:
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Career Development for ESRs
- Through its strong research environment, NTNU supports ESRs in gaining expertise in engineering, technical research, and innovation.
- Collaboration with non-academic partners like Halton ensures practical exposure and real-world problem-solving.
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Supervisory Expertise
- Prof. Guangyu Cao, Prof. Hans Martin Mathisen and Prof. Laurent Georges at NTNU supervise ESRs, focusing on hospital ventilation, protected zone airflow, and turbulent flow studies.
- Supervisors ensure the integration of research with professional and transferable skill development.
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Governance and Collaborative Network
- NTNU actively contributes to the supervisory board and training committee, ensuring alignment with project objectives and maintaining high training standards.
Contact us
People at HumanIC from NTNU
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Guangyu Cao Professor
+47-73593859 +4791897689 guangyu.cao@ntnu.no Department of Energy and Process Engineering -
Laurent Georges Professor
+47-73592484 +4747443861 laurent.georges@ntnu.no Department of Energy and Process Engineering -
Hans Martin Mathisen Professor emeritus
+47-73593870 +4793059175 hans.m.mathisen@ntnu.no Department of Energy and Process Engineering
Project partners
Warsaw University of Technology | Norwegian University of Science and Technology | Technische Universität Berlin | KTH Royal Institute of Technology | Aalto University | St. Olavs Hospital | University of Coimbra – Pólo II | Universidad Carlos III de Madrid | Fundación Para la Investigación Biomédica Hospital Gregorio Marañón | University of Leeds | Granlund Oy | Halton Oy | Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin | ActiveTek Medica | REHVA | Drees & Sommer SE | Avidicare AB | Industria
Funded by the European Union
The project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie.
