Heat and mass transfer simulation of the human airway for nano-particle water vapor

Knowledge regarding the particle deposition processes in lung airway is an important issue for aerosol therapy and inhalation toxicology applications. Many researches often calculated the deposition fraction in the upper airway, but they do not frequently investigate the Nusselt and Sherwood number for inhalation. This study focuses on evaluating the injury taking place in the upper human respiratory tract, based on level of exposure to hot gases. This study uses the Nusselt and Sherwood number to evaluate the heat and mass transfers in inhalation. To this end, we reconstructed a two-dimensional model of upper airway from the mouth to trachea and used the low-Reynolds-number (LRN) k-ω turbulence equation to simulate the heat and mass transfers. The finite element method is used to solve the low-Reynolds-number (LRN) k-ω turbulence equation. The model developed for the simultaneous mouth breathing during the inspiration phase with volumetric flow rates of 10 and 50 L/min. The results of simulation show that the Nusselt and Sherwood number in inhalation increases with increasing the Reynolds number. The temperature and concentration profiles help to assess the level of damage created in the upper airway and appropriate treatment for the damage.