Measuring three-dimensional flow structures in the conductive airways using 3D-PTV

Abstract

Detailed information about flow patterns and mass transport in the conductive airways is of crucial interest to improve ventilation strategies as well as targeted drug delivery. Despite a vast number of flow studies in this field, there is still a dearth in experimental data of three-dimensional flow patterns, in particular for the validation of numerical results. Therefore, oscillating flow within a realistic model of the upper human conductive airways is studied here experimentally. The investigated range of Reynolds numbers is Re = 250–2000 and the Womersley number is varied between $$\alpha$$ = 1.9–5.1, whereby physiological flow at rest conditions is included. In employing the three-dimensional particle tracking velocimetry measurement technique, we can directly visualize airway specific flow structures as well as examine Lagrangian trajectory statistics, which has not been covered to date. The systematic variation of characteristic flow parameters in combination with the advanced visualization technique sheds new light on the mechanisms of evolving flow patterns. By determining Lagrangian properties such as pathline curvature and torsion, we find that both strongly depend on the Reynolds number. Moreover, the probability density function of the curvature reveals a unique shape for certain flow regions and resembles a turbulent like behavior at the small scales.