Steady State CFD Assessment of Airflow in a Portable Laminar Airflow Cabinet Integrated with an Incubator
Kartik Chauhan, Rajesh Chaudhari and Dolatsinh Zala*
GTU-School of Applied Sciences and Technology, Gujarat Technological University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat-382424, India
*Corresponding author
Abstract:
Integrating a portable laminar airflow cabinet with an incubator offers a compact platform for laboratory work, but the airflow distribution within the shared assembly requires characterization. This study evaluated steady airflow in an integrated cabinet using SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation 2023. A three-dimensional, laminar-only model was implemented in an external computational domain that included the internal spaces. Air was supplied at a prescribed normal velocity of 0.300 m/s and a temperature of 293.20 K, with an ambient pressure of 101325 Pa. The model contained 257976 reported computational cells, and the calculation proceeded for 128 iterations. Predicted speed ranged from 0 to 0.604 m/s, while the global Z-velocity component ranged from −0.012 to 0.604 m/s. Transverse velocity components remained within approximately ±0.025 m/s. The visualizations showed predominantly forward-directed airflow, with a faster central region and slower peripheral flow. Inlet-surface velocity goals stabilized near 0.300 m/s, indicating consistency with the prescribed boundary condition. The results identify spatial variation that is not captured by the nominal inlet velocity and provide a numerical baseline for selecting downstream measurement locations. Work-area uniformity and predictive accuracy require further evaluation through velocity mapping, mesh sensitivity analysis, and experimental comparison. The findings apply to the modeled airflow condition and do not establish filtration efficiency, microbiological protection, or incubator temperature control.
Keywords:
Computational fluid dynamics; laminar airflow cabinet; portable laboratory equipment; integrated incubator; velocity distribution; steady flow
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How to cite this article:
Kartik Chauhan, Rajesh Chaudhari and Dolatsinh Zala. 2026. Steady State CFD Assessment of Airflow in a Portable Laminar Airflow Cabinet Integrated with an Incubator
Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci.
15(10): 332-339
doi:
https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2026.1510.036
Citations
National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) 
