Research progress in computational fluid dynamics simulation of alveolar airflows_West China Medical Journal

Authors：

OU Xinying ¹ , LUO Fengming ² , WAN Huajing ² , WANG Zhaoli ¹ , RUAN Chang ¹ ,  CHEN Yu ¹

1. Department of Applied Mechanics, Sichuan Province Biomechanical Engineering Laboratory, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610065, P. R. China;
2. Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine and Laboratory of Pulmonary Immunology and Inflammation, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, P. R. China;

Corresponding author：

CHEN Yu, Email: yu_chen@scu.edu.cn

Keywords：

Pulmonary alveoli; lung diseases; numerical simulation; computational fluid dynamics; geometric model

DOI：

10.7507/1002-0179.202212111

Video：

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Due to their diverse types, complex causes, high incidence, and difficult treatment, lung diseases have become major killers threatening human life and health, and some lung diseases have a significant impact on alveolar morphology and histology. Numerical simulation of alveolar mechanical response, alveolar flow field information, multiphase flow, and material transport based on computational fluid dynamics is of great significance for lung disease diagnosis, clinical treatment, and in vitro experiments. Starting from the simplification and pathological differences of geometric and mechanical models, this paper analyzes and summarizes the conditions and application scenarios of the airflow dynamics calculation method in pulmonary alveoli, to provide a reference for further simulation and application of the alveolar region.

Citation： OU Xinying, LUO Fengming, WAN Huajing, WANG Zhaoli, RUAN Chang, CHEN Yu. Research progress in computational fluid dynamics simulation of alveolar airflows. West China Medical Journal, 2023, 38(7): 1107-1112. doi: 10.7507/1002-0179.202212111 Copy

1.	王珏, 王彬杰, 杨加彩, 等. 新型冠状病毒肺炎诱发肺纤维化的机制及相关治疗研究进展. 中华烧伤杂志, 2020, 36(8): 691-697.
2.	Zumla A, Hui DS, Azhar EI, et al. Reducing mortality from 2019-nCoV: host-directed therapies should be an option. Lancet, 2020, 395(10224): e35-e36.
3.	Kitaoka H, Kobayashi H, Takimoto T, et al. Proposal of selective wedge instillation of pulmonary surfactant for COVID-19 pneumonia based on computational fluid dynamics simulation. BMC Pulm Med, 2021, 21(1): 62.
4.	刘学芳, 冯素香, 田燕歌, 等. 肺泡表面活性物质与慢性阻塞性肺疾病研究进展. 中国老年学杂志, 2018, 38(6): 1521-1523.
5.	Biselli PJC, Degobbi Tenorio Quirino Dos Santos Lopes F, Righetti RF, et al. Lung mechanics over the century: from bench to bedside and back to bench. Front Physiol, 2022, 13: 817263.
6.	陈月明. 医用物理学. 3 版. 合肥: 中国科学技术大学出版社, 2019: 74-78.
7.	Kang D, Chugunova M, Nadim A, et al. Modeling coating flow and surfactant dynamics inside the alveolar compartment. J Eng Math, 2018, 113: 23-43.
8.	王君健. 呼吸力学. 北京: 科学出版社, 1990: 11-12.
9.	Chen L, Zhao X. Characterization of air flow and lung function in the pulmonary acinus by fluid-structure interaction in idiopathic interstitial pneumonias. PLoS One, 2019, 14(3): e0214441.
10.	Kim J, Heise RL, Reynolds AM, et al. Aging effects on airflow dynamics and lung function in human bronchioles. PLoS One, 2017, 12(8): e0183654.
11.	Aghasafari P, Pidaparti R. Influence of tidal-volume setting, emphysema and ARDS on human alveolar sacs mechanics. Acta Mechanica Sinica, 2018, 34(5): 983-993.
12.	Sznitman J. Respiratory microflows in the pulmonary acinus. J Biomech, 2013, 46(2): 284-298.
13.	Ma B, Darquenne C. Aerosol deposition characteristics in distal acinar airways under cyclic breathing conditions. J Appl Physiol (1985), 2011, 110(5): 1271-1282.
14.	Lin CL, Tawhai MH, McLennan G, et al. Characteristics of the turbulent laryngeal jet and its effect on airflow in the human intra-thoracic airways. Respir Physiol Neurobiol, 2007, 157(2/3): 295-309.
15.	Kumar H, Vasilescu DM, Yin Y, et al. Multiscale imaging and registration-driven model for pulmonary acinar mechanics in the mouse. J Appl Physiol (1985), 2013, 114(8): 971-978.
16.	Hofemeier P, Sznitman J. Role of alveolar topology on acinar flows and convective mixing. J Biomech Eng, 2014, 136(6): 061007.
17.	Weibel ER, Gomez DM. Architecture of the human lung. Use of quantitative methods establishes fundamental relations between size and number of lung structures. Science, 1962, 137(3530): 577-585.
18.	Fung YC. A model of the lung structure and its validation. J Appl Physiol (1985), 1988, 64(5): 2132-2141.
19.	Harding EM, Robinson RJ. Flow in a terminal alveolar sac model with expanding walls using computational fluid dynamics. Inhal Toxicol, 2010, 22(8): 669-678.
20.	Aghasafari P, Bin M Ibrahim I, Pidaparti R. Strain-induced inflammation in pulmonary alveolar tissue due to mechanical ventilation. Biomech Model Mechanobiol, 2017, 16(4): 1103-1118.
21.	Kolanjiyil AV, Kleinstreuer C. Modeling airflow and particle deposition in a human acinar region. Comput Math Methods Med, 2019, 2019: 5952941.
22.	Monjezi M, Saidi MS. Fluid-structure interaction analysis of airflow in pulmonary alveoli during normal breathing in healthy humans. Scientia Iranica, 2016, 23(4): 1826-1836.
23.	Eslami Saray MA, Saidi MS, Ahmadi G. Airflow patterns in a 3D model of the human acinus. Scientia Iranica, 2017: 2379-2386.
24.	Kumar H, Tawhai MH, Hoffman EA, et al. The effects of geometry on airflow in the acinar region of the human lung. J Biomech, 2009, 42(11): 1635-1642.
25.	Dutta A, Vasilescu DM, Hogg JC, et al. Simulation of airflow in an idealized emphysematous human acinus. J Biomech Eng, 2018, 140(7): 071001.
26.	Kleinstreuer C, Zhang Z. Airflow and particle transport in the human respiratory system. Ann Rev Fluid Mech, 2010, 42(1): 301-334.
27.	Denny E, Schroter RC. The mechanical behavior of a mammalian lung alveolar duct model. J Biomech Eng, 1995, 117(3): 254-261.
28.	Darquenne C, Harrington L, Prisk GK. Alveolar duct expansion greatly enhances aerosol deposition: a three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics study. Philos Trans A Math Phys Eng Sci, 2009, 367(1896): 2333-2346.
29.	Ciloglu D. Numerical simulation of the unsteady flow field in the human pulmonary acinus. Sādhanā, 2021, 46(4): 186.
30.	Kannan RR, Singh N, Przekwas A, et al. A quasi-3D model of the whole lung: airway extension to the tracheobronchial limit using the constrained constructive optimization and alveolar modeling, using a sac-trumpet model. J Comput Des Eng, 2021, 8(2): 691-704.
31.	Chen L, Tao W, Ji W, et al. Effects of pulmonary fibrosis and surface tension on alveolar sac mechanics in diffuse alveolar damage. J Biomech Eng, 2021, 143(8): 081013.
32.	Marchioni A, Tonelli R, Cerri S, et al. Pulmonary stretch and lung mechanotransduction: implications for progression in the fibrotic lung. Int J Mol Sci, 2021, 22(12): 6443.
33.	Xi J, Talaat K, Si XA. Deposition of bolus and continuously inhaled aerosols in rhythmically moving terminal alveoli. J Comput Multiph Flows, 2018, 10(4): 178-193.
34.	Jin YJ, Cui HH, Chen L, et al. Tessellation-based modeling and flow simulation of pulmonary acinus with alveolar pore. Int J Numer Methods Heat Fluid Flow, 2023, 33(1): 42-64.
35.	Hofemeier P, Koshiyama K, Wada S, et al. One (sub-)acinus for all: Fate of inhaled aerosols in heterogeneous pulmonary acinar structures. Eur J Pharm Sci, 2018, 113: 53-63.
36.	曾衍钧. 人肺的本构方程. 中国生物医学工程学报, 1988(1): 13-19.
37.	Fung YC. Biomechanics: mechanical properties of living tissues. New York: Springer Verlag, 1993: 242-320.
38.	Koshiyama K, Nishimoto K, Ii S, et al. Heterogeneous structure and surface tension effects on mechanical response in pulmonary acinus: a finite element analysis. Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon), 2019, 66: 32-39.
39.	Zeng YJ, Yager D, Fung YC. Measurement of the mechanical properties of the human lung tissue. J Biomech Eng, 1987, 109(2): 169-174.
40.	Birzle AM, Wall WA. A viscoelastic nonlinear compressible material model of lung parenchyma. Experiments and numerical identification. J Mech Behav Biomed Mater, 2019, 94: 164-175.
41.	Yuan H, Ingenito EP, Suki B. Dynamic properties of lung parenchyma: mechanical contributions of fiber network and interstitial cells. J Appl Physiol (1985), 1997, 83(5): 1420-1431.
42.	Francis I, Saha SC. Surface tension effects on flow dynamics and alveolar mechanics in the acinar region of human lung. Heliyon, 2022, 8(10): e11026.
43.	Kori J, Pratibha. Simulation and modeling for aging and particle shape effect on airflow dynamics and filtration efficiency of human lung. J Appl Fluid Mech, 2019, 12(4): 1273-1285.
44.	李鹏辉, 徐新喜, 李蓉, 等. 多因素影响下的人体肺腺泡区吸入颗粒物沉积规律数值模拟研究. 生物医学工程学杂志, 2020, 37(5): 793-801.
45.	Zurita P, Hurtado DE. Computational modeling of capillary perfusion and gas exchange in alveolar tissue. Comput Methods Appl Mech Eng, 2022, 399: 115418.
46.	Hofemeier P, Shachar-Berman L, Tenenbaum-Katan J, et al. Unsteady diffusional screening in 3D pulmonary acinar structures: from infancy to adulthood. J Biomech, 2016, 49(11): 2193-2200.
47.	Kori J, Pratibha. Effect of first order chemical reactions on the dispersion coefficient associated with laminar flow through fibrosis affected lung. J Biomech, 2020, 99: 109494.
48.	Caucha LJ, Frei S, Rubio O. Finite element simulation of fluid dynamics and CO₂ gas exchange in the alveolar sacs of the human lung. Comput Appl Math, 2018, 37(5): 6410-6432.
49.	Ismail M, Comerford A, Wall WA. Coupled and reduced dimensional modeling of respiratory mechanics during spontaneous breathing. Int J Numer Meth Biomed Engng, 2013, 29(11): 1285-1305.

1. 王珏, 王彬杰, 杨加彩, 等. 新型冠状病毒肺炎诱发肺纤维化的机制及相关治疗研究进展. 中华烧伤杂志, 2020, 36(8): 691-697.
2. Zumla A, Hui DS, Azhar EI, et al. Reducing mortality from 2019-nCoV: host-directed therapies should be an option. Lancet, 2020, 395(10224): e35-e36.
3. Kitaoka H, Kobayashi H, Takimoto T, et al. Proposal of selective wedge instillation of pulmonary surfactant for COVID-19 pneumonia based on computational fluid dynamics simulation. BMC Pulm Med, 2021, 21(1): 62.
4. 刘学芳, 冯素香, 田燕歌, 等. 肺泡表面活性物质与慢性阻塞性肺疾病研究进展. 中国老年学杂志, 2018, 38(6): 1521-1523.
5. Biselli PJC, Degobbi Tenorio Quirino Dos Santos Lopes F, Righetti RF, et al. Lung mechanics over the century: from bench to bedside and back to bench. Front Physiol, 2022, 13: 817263.
6. 陈月明. 医用物理学. 3 版. 合肥: 中国科学技术大学出版社, 2019: 74-78.
7. Kang D, Chugunova M, Nadim A, et al. Modeling coating flow and surfactant dynamics inside the alveolar compartment. J Eng Math, 2018, 113: 23-43.
8. 王君健. 呼吸力学. 北京: 科学出版社, 1990: 11-12.
9. Chen L, Zhao X. Characterization of air flow and lung function in the pulmonary acinus by fluid-structure interaction in idiopathic interstitial pneumonias. PLoS One, 2019, 14(3): e0214441.
10. Kim J, Heise RL, Reynolds AM, et al. Aging effects on airflow dynamics and lung function in human bronchioles. PLoS One, 2017, 12(8): e0183654.
11. Aghasafari P, Pidaparti R. Influence of tidal-volume setting, emphysema and ARDS on human alveolar sacs mechanics. Acta Mechanica Sinica, 2018, 34(5): 983-993.
12. Sznitman J. Respiratory microflows in the pulmonary acinus. J Biomech, 2013, 46(2): 284-298.
13. Ma B, Darquenne C. Aerosol deposition characteristics in distal acinar airways under cyclic breathing conditions. J Appl Physiol (1985), 2011, 110(5): 1271-1282.
14. Lin CL, Tawhai MH, McLennan G, et al. Characteristics of the turbulent laryngeal jet and its effect on airflow in the human intra-thoracic airways. Respir Physiol Neurobiol, 2007, 157(2/3): 295-309.
15. Kumar H, Vasilescu DM, Yin Y, et al. Multiscale imaging and registration-driven model for pulmonary acinar mechanics in the mouse. J Appl Physiol (1985), 2013, 114(8): 971-978.
16. Hofemeier P, Sznitman J. Role of alveolar topology on acinar flows and convective mixing. J Biomech Eng, 2014, 136(6): 061007.
17. Weibel ER, Gomez DM. Architecture of the human lung. Use of quantitative methods establishes fundamental relations between size and number of lung structures. Science, 1962, 137(3530): 577-585.
18. Fung YC. A model of the lung structure and its validation. J Appl Physiol (1985), 1988, 64(5): 2132-2141.
19. Harding EM, Robinson RJ. Flow in a terminal alveolar sac model with expanding walls using computational fluid dynamics. Inhal Toxicol, 2010, 22(8): 669-678.
20. Aghasafari P, Bin M Ibrahim I, Pidaparti R. Strain-induced inflammation in pulmonary alveolar tissue due to mechanical ventilation. Biomech Model Mechanobiol, 2017, 16(4): 1103-1118.
21. Kolanjiyil AV, Kleinstreuer C. Modeling airflow and particle deposition in a human acinar region. Comput Math Methods Med, 2019, 2019: 5952941.
22. Monjezi M, Saidi MS. Fluid-structure interaction analysis of airflow in pulmonary alveoli during normal breathing in healthy humans. Scientia Iranica, 2016, 23(4): 1826-1836.
23. Eslami Saray MA, Saidi MS, Ahmadi G. Airflow patterns in a 3D model of the human acinus. Scientia Iranica, 2017: 2379-2386.
24. Kumar H, Tawhai MH, Hoffman EA, et al. The effects of geometry on airflow in the acinar region of the human lung. J Biomech, 2009, 42(11): 1635-1642.
25. Dutta A, Vasilescu DM, Hogg JC, et al. Simulation of airflow in an idealized emphysematous human acinus. J Biomech Eng, 2018, 140(7): 071001.
26. Kleinstreuer C, Zhang Z. Airflow and particle transport in the human respiratory system. Ann Rev Fluid Mech, 2010, 42(1): 301-334.
27. Denny E, Schroter RC. The mechanical behavior of a mammalian lung alveolar duct model. J Biomech Eng, 1995, 117(3): 254-261.
28. Darquenne C, Harrington L, Prisk GK. Alveolar duct expansion greatly enhances aerosol deposition: a three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics study. Philos Trans A Math Phys Eng Sci, 2009, 367(1896): 2333-2346.
29. Ciloglu D. Numerical simulation of the unsteady flow field in the human pulmonary acinus. Sādhanā, 2021, 46(4): 186.
30. Kannan RR, Singh N, Przekwas A, et al. A quasi-3D model of the whole lung: airway extension to the tracheobronchial limit using the constrained constructive optimization and alveolar modeling, using a sac-trumpet model. J Comput Des Eng, 2021, 8(2): 691-704.
31. Chen L, Tao W, Ji W, et al. Effects of pulmonary fibrosis and surface tension on alveolar sac mechanics in diffuse alveolar damage. J Biomech Eng, 2021, 143(8): 081013.
32. Marchioni A, Tonelli R, Cerri S, et al. Pulmonary stretch and lung mechanotransduction: implications for progression in the fibrotic lung. Int J Mol Sci, 2021, 22(12): 6443.
33. Xi J, Talaat K, Si XA. Deposition of bolus and continuously inhaled aerosols in rhythmically moving terminal alveoli. J Comput Multiph Flows, 2018, 10(4): 178-193.
34. Jin YJ, Cui HH, Chen L, et al. Tessellation-based modeling and flow simulation of pulmonary acinus with alveolar pore. Int J Numer Methods Heat Fluid Flow, 2023, 33(1): 42-64.
35. Hofemeier P, Koshiyama K, Wada S, et al. One (sub-)acinus for all: Fate of inhaled aerosols in heterogeneous pulmonary acinar structures. Eur J Pharm Sci, 2018, 113: 53-63.
36. 曾衍钧. 人肺的本构方程. 中国生物医学工程学报, 1988(1): 13-19.
37. Fung YC. Biomechanics: mechanical properties of living tissues. New York: Springer Verlag, 1993: 242-320.
38. Koshiyama K, Nishimoto K, Ii S, et al. Heterogeneous structure and surface tension effects on mechanical response in pulmonary acinus: a finite element analysis. Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon), 2019, 66: 32-39.
39. Zeng YJ, Yager D, Fung YC. Measurement of the mechanical properties of the human lung tissue. J Biomech Eng, 1987, 109(2): 169-174.
40. Birzle AM, Wall WA. A viscoelastic nonlinear compressible material model of lung parenchyma. Experiments and numerical identification. J Mech Behav Biomed Mater, 2019, 94: 164-175.
41. Yuan H, Ingenito EP, Suki B. Dynamic properties of lung parenchyma: mechanical contributions of fiber network and interstitial cells. J Appl Physiol (1985), 1997, 83(5): 1420-1431.
42. Francis I, Saha SC. Surface tension effects on flow dynamics and alveolar mechanics in the acinar region of human lung. Heliyon, 2022, 8(10): e11026.
43. Kori J, Pratibha. Simulation and modeling for aging and particle shape effect on airflow dynamics and filtration efficiency of human lung. J Appl Fluid Mech, 2019, 12(4): 1273-1285.
44. 李鹏辉, 徐新喜, 李蓉, 等. 多因素影响下的人体肺腺泡区吸入颗粒物沉积规律数值模拟研究. 生物医学工程学杂志, 2020, 37(5): 793-801.
45. Zurita P, Hurtado DE. Computational modeling of capillary perfusion and gas exchange in alveolar tissue. Comput Methods Appl Mech Eng, 2022, 399: 115418.
46. Hofemeier P, Shachar-Berman L, Tenenbaum-Katan J, et al. Unsteady diffusional screening in 3D pulmonary acinar structures: from infancy to adulthood. J Biomech, 2016, 49(11): 2193-2200.
47. Kori J, Pratibha. Effect of first order chemical reactions on the dispersion coefficient associated with laminar flow through fibrosis affected lung. J Biomech, 2020, 99: 109494.
48. Caucha LJ, Frei S, Rubio O. Finite element simulation of fluid dynamics and CO₂ gas exchange in the alveolar sacs of the human lung. Comput Appl Math, 2018, 37(5): 6410-6432.
49. Ismail M, Comerford A, Wall WA. Coupled and reduced dimensional modeling of respiratory mechanics during spontaneous breathing. Int J Numer Meth Biomed Engng, 2013, 29(11): 1285-1305.

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Research progress in computational fluid dynamics simulation of alveolar airflows

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