Journal article
An Empirical Model of Human Aspiration in Low-Velocity Air Using CFD Investigations
Journal of occupational and environmental hygiene, Vol.12(4), pp.245-255
04/03/2015
DOI: 10.1080/15459624.2014.970273
PMCID: PMC4753566
PMID: 25438035
Abstract
Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling was performed to investigate the aspiration efficiency of the human head in low velocities to examine whether the current inhaled particulate mass (IPM) sampling criterion matches the aspiration efficiency of an inhaling human in airflows common to worker exposures. Data from both mouth and nose inhalation, averaged to assess omnidirectional aspiration efficiencies, were compiled and used to generate a unifying model to relate particle size to aspiration efficiency of the human head. Multiple linear regression was used to generate an empirical model to estimate human aspiration efficiency and included particle size as well as breathing and freestream velocities as dependent variables. A new set of simulated mouth and nose breathing aspiration efficiencies was generated and used to test the fit of empirical models. Further, empirical relationships between test conditions and CFD estimates of aspiration were compared to experimental data from mannequin studies, including both calm-air and ultra-low velocity experiments. While a linear relationship between particle size and aspiration is reported in calm air studies, the CFD simulations identified a more reasonable fit using the square of particle aerodynamic diameter, which better addressed the shape of the efficiency curve's decline toward zero for large particles. The ultimate goal of this work was to develop an empirical model that incorporates real-world variations in critical factors associated with particle aspiration to inform low-velocity modifications to the inhalable particle sampling criterion.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- An Empirical Model of Human Aspiration in Low-Velocity Air Using CFD Investigations
- Creators
- T. Renée Anthony - Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, University of IowaKimberly R Anderson - Department of Environmental and Radiological Health, Colorado State University
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Journal of occupational and environmental hygiene, Vol.12(4), pp.245-255
- DOI
- 10.1080/15459624.2014.970273
- PMID
- 25438035
- PMCID
- PMC4753566
- NLM abbreviation
- J Occup Environ Hyg
- ISSN
- 1545-9624
- eISSN
- 1545-9632
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 04/03/2015
- Academic Unit
- Occupational and Environmental Health
- Record Identifier
- 9983997456202771
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