Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWMWe have all been familiar with situations where we simply wish for clean air ever since the COVID-19 pandemic. This time has increased people's awareness of the need to better protect themselves from environmental influences. In the future, DesCap GmbH products will also play a role in actively protecting ourselves and others: With two integrated fans and interchangeable special filter units, the DesCap is able to retain viruses and bacteria, as well as pollen, spores and different types of dust. In the ongoing cooperation with DesCap GmbH, our experts are using simulations to help optimize the design of the face visors.
Gesichtsschild DesCap Bühne
The areas of application for DesCap face visors are diverse. Wherever people come together, the DesCap can supply the person wearing it with purified air and protect them, whether it's at airports, in clinics or doctor's offices. »A few centimeters of purified air in front of the face is enough« – this is the motto of DesCap GmbH and the basis for the collaboration with the Fraunhofer ITWM.
© freepik / Fraunhofer ITWM
Simulations Optimize the Design of Actively Ventilated Face Visors
Cooperation With DesCap Gmbh: Improving the Filter Function With the Help of Mathematics
»When the coronavirus pandemic began, we realized that you can't permanently keep entire rooms, houses or means of transport free of all pollutants from the air. But a few centimetres of purified air in front of your face is enough to better protect yourself and others. The development of DesCap products began with this idea,« says Sönke Mestemacher, founder and Managing Director of DesCap GmbH. With this approach, the start-up company's team has also been working together with our researchers since autumn 2023 on feasibility studies to optimize the design for the product and thus achieve the highest possible efficiency.
Our Expertise and Simulations Optimize the Product
Our researchers are developing a dynamic simulator that virtually calculates the dispersion of the air, taking into account the filter and material properties. The team draws on many years of expertise in the simulation of filtration processes and the dispersion of aerosols. The results of the dynamic flow scenarios carried out using our simulation software flow directly into product optimization.
»In our feasibility studies, we started with a basic version of the product that achieved around 68% clean air in front of the face. We are now up to 96 percent. That is FFP2 level,« says Dr. Christian Leithäuser, deputy head of the department »Transport Processes« and responsible for the project at the Fraunhofer ITWM. »In this case, small adjustments to the design are crucial in order to increase the quality of the results. For example, lateral boundaries were added to the visor and the air flow direction was adjusted. We can see virtually what can be changed to improve the product in reality.«
How Does the Descap Work?
The DesCap cleans breathing air using filter technology. The actively introduced outside air is cleaned by the filters and directed through specially shaped ventilation slots into the space between the face visor and the face. In combination with the air flow explicitly directed in the protected design of the DesCap, the ingress of other ambient air is also prevented. The transparent visor maintains the wearer's field of vision and does not restrict verbal or non-verbal communication. In addition, the ergonomic design of the DesCap is intended to enable a long wearing time, as it is weight-optimized and can be individually adapted to the person wearing it.
Video: Simulation Study to Optimize the DesCap
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Wide Range of Applications for the Descap
The special feature of DesCap is the freedom that the wearer has when using it. It is therefore an enrichment for a wide variety of everyday situations in which people have the need for a personal, mobile, clean airspace.
The company is currently focusing on two areas of application:
The »DesCap CARE« uses H13 as the filter medium – the highest filter class for indoor air filtration. This filtration effectively protects against a variety of viruses and bacteria, such as Covid-19 and its mutations, as well as pollen, spores and dust. It therefore provides support in all areas of daily life where people come together or where the allergen load in the air is particularly high. These can be airports, public transport, highly frequented events, for example, but also times of increased pollen or fine dust pollution.
The »DesCap WORK«, on the other hand, is used as personal protection for people who are exposed to high levels of coarse dust or similar air-polluting particles at work or at home and also want to benefit from the product's effective full-surface face protection.
Current Status and Outlook for Cooperation
The project team is working together on a ZIM-funded feasibility study. The Central Innovation Program for SMEs (ZIM) is a nationwide program that is open to all technologies and industries. The ZIM aims to sustainably strengthen the innovative power and thus the competitiveness of SMEs. There are also plans to further develop the topic of »VOC sensor-controlled air purification« (VOC stands for volatile organic compounds) for the medical sector.