The Experimental Research on Periodic Airflow in Human Nasal Cavity

Airflow in the nasal cavity of a normal Korean adult is investigated experimentally by tomographic PIV measurement. Knowledge of airflow characteristics in nasal cavities is essential to understand the physiology and pathology aspects of nasal breathing. Several studies have utilized physical models of the healthy nasal cavity to investigate the relationship between nasal anatomy and airflow. All of these researches on nasal airflow are under the condition of constant flow-rate. In this study, nasal cavity flow with the physiological period is investigated by tomographic PIV, for the first time. A pumping system that can produce the periodic flow is created. Thanks to a new method for the model casting by a combination of the rapid prototyping and curing of clear silicone, a transparent rectangular box containing the complex nasal cavity can be made for PIV. The CBC PIV algorithm is used for analysis. Phase-averaged mean and RMS velocity distributions are obtained for inspirational and expiration nasal airflows. The comparison with the constant flow case is appreciated. There exist many flow patterns depending on each phase.