Nasal air temperature and airflow during respiration in numerical simulation based on multislice computed tomography scan.

BACKGROUND: Adequate nasal air-conditioning is of greatest importance. Because detailed processes of nasal air-conditioning still are not completely understood, numerical simulations of intranasal temperature distribution and airflow patterns during inspiration and expiration were performed.
METHODS: A three-dimensional model of the human nose based on computed tomography scans was reconstructed. A computational fluid dynamics application was used displaying temperature and airflow during respiration based on time-dependent boundary conditions.
RESULTS: Absolute air temperature and velocity values vary depending on detection site and time of detection. Areas of low velocities and turbulence show distinct changes in air temperature. The turbinate areas prove to be the main regions for heat exchange. The numerical results showed excellent comparability to our in vivo measurements.
CONCLUSION: Numerical simulation of temperature and airflow based on computational fluid dynamics is feasible providing entirely novel information and an insight into air-conditioning of the human nose.