Estimation of deposition of aerosol aggregates in an idealized throat model

The deposition efficiency of aerosol aggregates in a model of the upper parts of a human respiratory tract was theoretically investigated. The deposition efficiency of aerosol aggregates with varying fractal dimensions, each composed of equal numbers of identical spherical primary particles, was determined using computer programs simulating particle motion with constant volumetric airflow through an approximated geometrical model of the upper parts of a human respiratory tract. Two models of aerosol particle dynamics were used to determine trajectories of movement: the modified Brownian dynamics model, in which the shape of an aggregate is approximately an equivalent sphere (BDES) and the rigid body model (RBM), which treats each aerosol aggregate as a rigid body composed of identical spherical primary particles insolubly joined to one another. The results were analyzed with the emphasis on the influence of volumetric airflow through the system, and fractal dimension of aerosol aggregates, on the deposition in the throat model.