Response of contaminant detection sensors and sensor systems in a commercial aircraft cabin

To reduce the potential risk of airborne infectious diseases during an outbreak or to detect a chemical/biological release by a terrorist, it is essential to place appropriate chemical/biological sensors in commercial airliner cabins. This investigation studied sensor responses along the length of a fully occupied twin-aisle cabin with 210 seats by using a validated Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) program. The results revealed that seating arrangements can make cross sectional airflow pattern considerably asymmetrical. The trends of longitudinal contaminant transport in the business and economy classes were similar. The presence of galleys greatly affected the longitudinal transport of contaminants in a particular cabin section. The effects due to galleys is significantly reduced using a multiport sampling system. Multiport sampling systems also reduce the number of contaminant identification sensors required in a cabin considerably.