A numerical study of flow field and particle deposition in nasal channels with deviant geometry

Abstract

Deviant geometry of nasal channels results in significant changes to nasal aerodynamics that alter flow resistance, sensation, and the ability to filter aerosols. The invasive, operative modification of nasal geometry might alter the intranasal flow patterns, and this must be considered in advance at the stage of surgical planning. The present work describes flow patterns, reproduced numerically for several nasal geometries. This includes the reference channel geometry without physiological modifications. Making use of the commercial CFD-package STAR-CCM+, we document a down to 51% reduction and up to a 280% increase in nasal flow resistance for enlarged and obstructed channel geometries. The study on particle deposition revealed an only 18% deposition efficiency for the enlarged nasal cavities, while this parameter was up to 58% for the normal and obstructed geometries.