Computational and Experimental Study of Nasal cavity Airflow Dynamics.

PhDThis work aims to assess human nasal blockage by investigating its influence on nasal airflow dynamics, both computationally and experimentally. An in-house CFD code (Lithium) computes the steady (mean) nasal airflow for a cavity constructed from CT images of a healthy adult, for the internal cavity and for the first time for the external flow. To account for turbulence occurrence, the low Reynolds number k-ω Reynolds-Averaged-Navier-Stokes (RANS) model is used. The flow field is calculated at different breathing rates by varying the influx rate. Blockages are introduced at various locations inside the cavity to investigate common nasal blockages. The computational results are assessed against published literature and the Particle Image Velocimetry experimental (PIV) results, carried out on a 2.54:1 scale model of the computational nasal cavity. Schlieren optical technique is also used for external nasal airflow visualizations of a human subject, to comment on using an optical system for clinical application. These computations reveal a significant dependency of both, the internal and external nasal airflow fields on the nasal cavity’s geometry. Although for this model, the flow is found to be turbulent in the inspiratory phase of 200 ml/s and higher, it is suggested that the nature of flow can vary depending on the nasal cavity’s structure which is influenced by genetics. Nevertheless, some common flow features were revealed such as higher flow rate in the olfactory region and main flow passage through lower airways during inspiration. More uniform flow passage was found in expiration. The results also suggest a possible correlation between the internal geometry of the cavity and the external nasal airflow angle and thickness. This correlation can allow an application of optical systems such as Schlieren which is shown to give accurate qualitative images of the external nasal airflow for assessment of the nasal blockage.Queen Mary University of London student scholarship; UK Turbulence Consortium (UKTC); EPSCR grant EP/G069581/

Effects of low Ag additions on the hydrogen permeability of Pd–Cu–Ag hydrogen separation membranes

AbstractPd–Cu alloys are of potential interest for use as hydrogen purification membranes, but have relatively low permeability compared to the commercially used alloys such as Pd–Ag. In this work, the effects of partial Ag substitution on the hydrogen diffusivity, solubility and the permeability of Pd–Cu membranes with a bcc structure have been investigated. With the addition of 2.3 and 3.9at% Ag to Pd–Cu, lattice expansions of 0.11% and 0.35% were observed. Structural analyses by in-situ XRD showed that the bcc structure of the 2.3at% Ag alloy is retained upon heating to 600°C, whereas an fcc phase forms in the 3.9at% Ag alloy resulting in a mixed (bcc+fcc) structure. Whilst the diffusion coefficients between 350 and 400°C for both Pd–Cu–Ag ternary samples were shown to be lower than their binary alloys (which had similar structures), higher solubility values were obtained. The lower diffusion coefficients of the ternary alloys are related to an increase in the diffusion activation barrier in the presence of Ag, and the higher solubility values may be attributed to the lattice expansion and high Ag–H chemical interaction. Hydrogen permeation measurements showed that an enhancement in the hydrogen solubility of the bcc phase Pd45.8Cu51.9Ag2.3, does not have a substantial effect on the permeability of the membrane. In contrast, for the Pd45.1Cu51Ag3.9 sample with a mixed (bcc+fcc) phase, higher hydrogen solubility can lead to a remarkable improvement in permeability. Hence, it is suggested that the hydrogen permeability in the bcc phase is mainly controlled by hydrogen diffusion, and the solubility enhancement can only significantly improve the hydrogen permeability when the fcc phase is present