Inflow boundary profile prescription for numerical simulation of nasal airflow

Knowledge of how airflows through the nasal passages relies heavily on model studies, as the complexity and relative inaccessibility of the anatomy prevents detailed in vivo measurement. Almost all models to date fail to incorporate the geometry of the external nose, instead employing a truncated inflow. Typically, flow is specified to enter the model domain either directly at the nares (nostrils), or via an artificial pipe inflow tract attached to the nares. This study investigates the effect of the inflow geometry on flow predictions during steady nasal inspiration. Models that fully replicate the internal and external nasal airways of two anatomically distinct subjects are used as a reference to compare the effects of common in flow treatments on physiologically relevant quantities including regional wall shear stress and particle residence time distributions. In flow geometry truncation is found to affect flow predictions significantly, though slightly less so for the subject displaying more pronounced passage area contraction up to the internal nasal valve. For both subject geometries, a tapered pipe in flow provides a better approximation to the natural in flow than a blunt velocity pro. le applied to the nares. Computational modelling issues are also briefly outlined, by comparing quantities predicted using different surface tessellations, and by evaluation of domain-splitting techniques.