FROM CT SCANS TO CFD MODELLING - FLUID AND HEAT TRANSFER IN A REALISTIC HUMAN NASAL CAVITY

The air conditioning capability of the nose is dependent on the nasal mucosal temperature and the airflow dynamics caused by the airway geometry. A computational model of a human nasal cavity obtained through CT scans was produced and the process described. CFD techniques were applied to study the effects of morphological differences in the left and right nasal cavities on the airflow and heat transfer of inhaled air. A laminar steady flow of 15 L/min was applied and two inhalation conditions were investigated: normal air conditions, 25 degrees C, 35% relative humidity and cold dry air conditions, 12 degrees C, 13% relative humidity. It was found that the frontal regions of the nasal cavity exhibited greater secondary cross flows compared to the middle and back regions. The left cavity in the front region had a smaller cross-sectional area compared to the right which allowed greater heating as the heat source from the wall was closer to the bulk flow regions. Additionally it was found that the role of the turbinates to condition the air may not be solely reliant on the surface area contact but may in fact be influenced by the nature of the flow that the turbinates cause.