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Hybrid mesh for nasal airflow studies
Mohammed Zubair1, Mohammed Zulkifly Abdullah, Kamarul Arifin Ahmad
1School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 14300 Nibong Tebal, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia. mdzubairmanipal@gmail.com
Computational and Mathematical Methods in Medicine
|August 29, 2013
Summary
Hybrid mesh simulations show improved accuracy for nasal airflow studies compared to unstructured mesh. This method offers better precision in predicting pressure drop and velocity within the nasal cavity.
Area of Science:
- Computational fluid dynamics
- Biomedical engineering
- Respiratory system modeling
Background:
- Numerical simulation accuracy heavily relies on mesh quality and distribution.
- Unstructured meshes are common in nasal airflow studies, but hybrid meshes are emerging for complex anatomies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the efficacy of hybrid mesh versus unstructured mesh in simulating nasal airflow.
- To evaluate the impact of mesh type on key flow parameters within the nasal cavity.
Main Methods:
- A 3D nasal cavity model was created from CT scans of a healthy adult.
- Steady airflow was simulated by solving the Navier-Stokes equations.
- Inspiratory nasal flow was analyzed using both unstructured and hybrid computational grids.
Main Results:
- Hybrid mesh yielded a lower pressure drop (17.8 Pa) compared to unstructured mesh (22.6 Pa) at 20 L/min.
- Maximum nasal valve velocity was higher with hybrid mesh (4.76 m/s) than unstructured mesh (4.18 m/s).
- Hybrid mesh demonstrated a lower grid convergence index (GCI), indicating better numerical stability.
Conclusions:
- Hybrid mesh provides more accurate results for nasal airflow simulations than unstructured mesh.
- The findings highlight the advantages of using hybrid meshes for detailed nasal cavity flow analysis.
- Hybrid mesh is a valuable tool for enhancing the reliability of nasal airflow studies.
