Numerical study of the steady airflow in the human respiratory system during inhaling and exhaling

0583293 - MÚ 2025 RIV CZ eng C - Conference Paper (international conference)
Lancmanová, Anna - Bodnár, Tomáš
Numerical study of the steady airflow in the human respiratory system during inhaling and exhaling.
Topical Problems of Fluid Mechanics. Prague: Institute of Thermomechanics AS CR, v. v. i., 2024 - (Šimurda, D.; Bodnár, T.), s. 124-131. ISBN 978-80-87012-88-8. ISSN 2336-5781.
[Topical Problems of Fluid Mechanics 2024. Prague (CZ), 21.02.2024-23.02.2024]
Grant - others:AV ČR(CZ) AP2101
Program: Akademická prémie - Praemium Academiae
Institutional support: RVO:67985840
Keywords : human airways * incompressible Navier-Stokes * OpenFOAM
OECD category: Pure mathematics
https://doi.org/10.14311/TPFM.2024.017

This paper presents some of the initial results of the numerical simulations of a steady turbulent flow in human upper airways during inhalation and exhalation. The mathematical model is based on the system of Reynolds-Averaged incompressible Navier-Stokes equations complemented by the SST k − ω turbulence model. The simulations were performed using finite-volume open source solver OpenFOAM on a realistic three-dimensional geometry. The main aim of this particular study is to verify the computational setup with special focus on appropriate choice and implementation of boundary conditions. The prescribed boundary conditions are chosen to mimic the physiological conditions during normal breathing cycle. This study aims to gain an insight into the airflow behavior during the inhalation and exhalation process by comparing the results of two distinct simulations corresponding to two different (opposite) flow rates . The obtained local flow rates and flow fields for both cases are presented and mutually compared. This initial work should serve as a foundation for future more complex simulations that will include the time-dependent and compressible effects.
Permanent Link: https://hdl.handle.net/11104/0351296