Numerical simulation of inhaled aerosol particle deposition within 3D realistic human upper respiratory tract

摘要

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of airflow and particle deposition in the upper respiratory tract (URT) were conducted in this paper. Based on the CT (Computerized Tomography) scanned images of a 19-years-old healthy boy, a realistic geometric model of URT from oral cavity to the upper six-generation bronchial is rebuilt. To investigate airflow and particle deposition in the obtained realistic human upper respiratory tract, RNG k-e turbulence model was used to describe the primary flow and particle deposition under three breathing intensity such as 15 L/min, 30 L/min and 60 L/min. The particle is tracked and analyzed in the Lagrangian frame. The velocity fields of airflow under different airflow rates were computed and discussed. In order to study the characteristics of particles movement and the effect of particles diameter on the deposition pattern, eleven kinds of sphere particles with different diameters are selected as research object. The diameters of selected particles as follows: 0.1μm, 0.5um, 1μm, 2.5μm, 3um, 3.5μm, 4μm, 4.5μm, 5μm, 6.5μm and 8μm. The variation of inhalable particles deposition in realistic human upper respiratory tract with respiratory intensity and particle size was researched and compared. Furthermore, the more real inhalable particles with Rosin-Rammler mass distribution are used to study the effect of particles size. The deposition rate of particles with the different diameter scope in the different part of upper respiratory tract was summarized. The geometrical model based images technology promises to provide more real results of airflow field and particle deposition in the URT.