Pless D, Keck T, Wiesmiller K, Rettinger G, Aschoff A J, Fleiter T R, Lindemann J
Department of Diagnostic Radiology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany.
Clin Otolaryngol Allied Sci. 2004 Dec;29(6):642-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2273.2004.00862.x.
Recovery of heat and water during expiration is an important but not yet fully understood function of the nose. The presented study investigated cooling of the expiratory air for heat recovery within the human nose applying numerical simulation. A numerical simulation in a bilateral three-dimensional model of the human nose based on computed tomography was employed. Temperature distribution and airflow patterns during expiration were displayed. Cooling of the expiratory air primarily takes place in the areas of inferior and middle turbinate. Areas of the highest decrease in temperature are characterized by turbulent airflow with vortices of low velocity. Numerical results showed good concordance with experimental in vivo temperature measurements. Heating of inspired air not only depends on inspiration but also on expiration. Cooling the warm expiratory air may be regarded as an important factor for heat recovery. Furthermore, the results demonstrate the close relation between heat exchange and airflow patterns.
呼气过程中热量和水分的回收是鼻子的一项重要功能，但尚未被完全理解。本研究通过数值模拟研究了人体鼻腔内呼气空气冷却以实现热量回收的情况。采用基于计算机断层扫描的人体鼻腔双侧三维模型进行数值模拟。展示了呼气过程中的温度分布和气流模式。呼气空气的冷却主要发生在下鼻甲和中鼻甲区域。温度下降最大的区域其气流呈湍流且伴有低速涡旋。数值结果与体内温度测量实验结果显示出良好的一致性。吸入空气的加热不仅取决于吸气，还取决于呼气。冷却温暖的呼气空气可被视为热量回收的一个重要因素。此外，结果表明了热交换与气流模式之间的密切关系。
