A steady-state, one-dimensional theoretical model of human respiratory heat and water vapor transport is developed. Local mass transfer coefficients measured in a cast replica of the upper respiratory tract are incorporated into the model along with heat transfer coefficients determined from the Chilton-Colburn analogy and from data in the literature. The model agrees well with reported experimental measurements and predicts that the two most important parameters of the human air-conditioning process are: 1) the blood temperature distribution along the airway walls, and 2) the total cross-sectional area and perimeter of the nasal cavity. The model also shows that the larynx and pharynx can actually gain water over a respiratory cycle and are the regions of the respiratory tract most subject to drying. With slight modification, the model can be used to investigate respiratory heat and water vapor transport in high stress environments, pollutant gas uptake in the respiratory tract, and the connection between respiratory air-conditioning and the function of the mucociliary escalator.
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February 1986
Research Papers
A Theoretical Model of Localized Heat and Water Vapor Transport in the Human Respiratory Tract
L. M. Hanna,
L. M. Hanna
School of Hygiene and Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md. 21205
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P. W. Scherer
P. W. Scherer
Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa. 19104
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L. M. Hanna
School of Hygiene and Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md. 21205
P. W. Scherer
Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa. 19104
J Biomech Eng. Feb 1986, 108(1): 19-27 (9 pages)
Published Online: February 1, 1986
Article history
Received:
June 16, 1984
Revised:
September 3, 1985
Online:
June 12, 2009
Citation
Hanna, L. M., and Scherer, P. W. (February 1, 1986). "A Theoretical Model of Localized Heat and Water Vapor Transport in the Human Respiratory Tract." ASME. J Biomech Eng. February 1986; 108(1): 19–27. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.3138574
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