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Airflow and Nanoparticle Deposition in a 16-Generation Tracheobronchial Airway Model

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Abstract

In order to achieve both manageable simulation and local accuracy of airflow and nanoparticle deposition in a representative human tracheobronchial (TB) region, the complex airway network was decomposed into adjustable triple-bifurcation units, spreading axially and laterally. Given Q in = 15 and 30 L/min and a realistic inlet velocity profile, the experimentally validated computer simulation model provided some interesting 3-D airflow patterns, i.e., for each TB-unit they depend on the upstream condition, local geometry and local Reynolds number. Directly coupled to the local airflow fields are the convective-diffusive transport and deposition of nanoparticles, i.e., 1 nm ≤ d p ≤ 100 nm. The CFD modeling predictions were compared to experimental observations as well as analytical modeling results. The CFD-simulated TB deposition values agree astonishingly well with analytical modeling results. However, measurable differences can be observed for bifurcation-by-bifurcation deposition fractions obtained with these two different approaches due to the effects of more realistic inlet conditions and geometric features incorporated in the CFD model. Specifically, while the difference between the total TB deposition fraction (DF) is less than 16%, it may be up to 70% for bifurcation-by-bifurcation DFs. In addition, it was found that fully developed flow and uniform nanoparticle concentrations can be assumed beyond generation G12. For nanoparticles with d p > 10 nm, the geometric effects, including daughter-branch rotation, are minor. Furthermore, the deposition efficiencies at each individual bifurcation in the TB region can be well correlated as a function of an effective diffusion parameter.

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Acknowledgments

This effort was sponsored by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Air Force Material Command, USAF, under grant number FA9550-07-1-0461 (Dr. Walt Kozumbo, Program Manager), NSF Grant CBET-0834054 (Dr Marc S. Ingber, Program Director), and the US Environmental Protection Agency (Dr. C.S. Kim, Program Monitor). The U.S. Government is authorized to reproduce and distribute reprints for governmental purposes notwithstanding any copyright notation thereon. The use of both CFX software from ANSYS Inc. (Canonsburg, PA) and the IBM Linux Cluster at the High Performance Computing Center at North Carolina State University (Raleigh, NC) are gratefully acknowledged as well.

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The views and conclusions contained herein are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies or endorsements, either expressed or implied, of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the National Science Foundation, or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA

    Zhe Zhang & Clement Kleinstreuer

  2. Department of Biomedical Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA

    Clement Kleinstreuer

  3. Human Studies Division, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, U.S. EPA, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27711, USA

    Chong S. Kim

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  1. Zhe Zhang
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Correspondence to Clement Kleinstreuer.

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Zhang, Z., Kleinstreuer, C. & Kim, C.S. Airflow and Nanoparticle Deposition in a 16-Generation Tracheobronchial Airway Model. Ann Biomed Eng 36, 2095–2110 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-008-9583-z

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