A numerical study of inhalation therapy sprays in the human throat including comparisons with experimental results

摘要

A three-dimensional computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulation of an inhalation therapy spray in the human throat was performed and compared with experimental results obtained by Phase Doppler Interferometry. CFD simulation of the larynx and trachea geometry was acquired using the KIVA-3V code. Inhalation therapy has been used for many years in order to treat the conditions of the lung. The flow conditions in the human throat, i.e. larynx and tracheal section, affect the delivery of the medications to the lungs. Droplets of sizes typical of inhalation aerosols are experimentally introduced to and measured within a throat model. The larynx geometry is represented by a constriction inside of a straight tube both in the numerical simulation and the experiment. A reverse flow region was detected both numerically and experimentally downstream of the larynx. Turbulent flows, direction impaction by the laryngeal jet, and recirculation regions determine the droplet deposition ratio between the anterior and posterior sides of the human throat.