Gas dispersion in a model pulmonary bifurcation during oscillatory flow

In order to clarify the gas transport process in high-frequency oscillation, we measured the axial velocity profile and the axial effective diffusivity in a single asymmetric bifurcating tube, based on the Horsfield airway model, with sinusoidally oscillatory flow. The axial velocity profiles were measured using a laser-Doppler velocimeter, and the effective diffusivities were evaluated using a simple bolus injection method. The axial velocity profile was found to be nonuniform, promoting axial gas dispersion by the spread of the concentration profile and lateral mixing. The geometric asymmetry of the bifurcation was responsible for the difference in gas transport between the main bronchi. The axial gas transport in the left main bronchus was 2.3 times as large as that of the straight tube, whereas the gas transport in the right main bronchus was slightly larger than that of the straight tube. Thus localized variation in gas transport characterized the heterogeneous respiratory function of the lung.