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Impact of two-way coupling on airflow and powder deposition in the pediatric nasal cavity based on a bouncing-wall interaction model

par Arnedo, Carlos;Calmet, Hadrien;Rigaut, Clément ;Haut, Benoît ;Ceccacci, Silvia;Gargallo-Peiró, Abel;Houzeaux, Guillaume;Eguzkitza, Beatriz
Référence European journal of mechanics. B, Fluids, page (204542)
Publication Publié, 2026-04-25

Article révisé par les pairs

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Résumé :

The nasal cavity has emerged as a promising route for both local and systemic drug delivery, but accurate prediction of particle deposition remains a challenge, with direct implications for treatment effectiveness and personalized medicine. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is widely used to study airflow and particle transport, yet most studies assume one-way coupling, in which the fluid transports the particles while neglecting their feedback on the flow field. In this work, we introduce a localized momentum sink term in the flow equations for each particle to model the effect of particles on the airflow. We compare in vitro experiments with CFD simulations of a polydisperse solid particle spray in a pediatric nasal geometry. Particle–wall interactions are represented through a statistical bouncing model accounting for mucus surface roughness, applied to the same CT-based 3D nasal geometry used in the experiments. Simulations and experiments were performed under identical airflow conditions, spray settings and particle parameters, considering three inspiratory flow rates representative of different breathing regimes: 0, 15 and 60 L/min. Two-way coupling significantly modifies airflow and deposition maps at low flow rates. In particular, it reduces the weighted mean relative error compared to experimental data from 37.6% to 12.1% and from 26.9% to 7.2% for the 0 L/min and 15 L/min cases, respectively. At 60 L/min, differences are less noticeable under the present set-up, due to the higher airflow inertia relative to the momentum transferred from the particles. These findings highlight the importance of incorporating two-way coupling together with a realistic particle–mucus interaction model when simulating dry powder delivery in pediatric upper airways.