Predicting the Chemical Protection Factor of CBRN Protective Garments

The protection factor and pressure drop coefficient of single layers of active carbon particles in chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) protective garments have been computed from computational fluid dynamics simulations of airflow and mass transport. Based on the results from the simulations, a closed-form analytical model has been proposed for the protection factor and the pressure drop coefficient as a function of layer porosity, particle diameter, and cross airflow velocity. This model has been validated against experimental data in literature. It can be used to find an optimal compromise between high protection factor and low pressure drop coefficient. Maximum protection factors are achieved when small carbon particles are employed in a layer with high packing density, at the expense of a high pressure drop coefficient. For a given required protection factor, the lowest pressure drop coefficient is found for layers combining a high porosity and small particle diameter.