Effect of MDI Actuation Timing on Inhalation Dosimetry in a Human Respiratory Tract Model

Accurate knowledge of the delivery of locally acting drug products, such as metered-dose inhaler (MDI) formulations, to large and small airways is essential to develop reliable in vitro/in vivo correlations (IVIVCs). However, challenges exist in modeling MDI delivery, due to the highly transient multiscale spray formation, the large variability in actuation–inhalation coordination, and the complex lung networks. The objective of this study was to develop/validate a computational MDI-releasing-delivery model and to evaluate the device actuation effects on the dose distribution with the newly developed model. An integrated MDI–mouth–lung (G9) geometry was developed. An albuterol MDI with the chlorofluorocarbon propellant was simulated with polydisperse aerosol size distribution measured by laser light scatter and aerosol discharge velocity derived from measurements taken while using a phase Doppler anemometry. The highly transient, multiscale airflow and droplet dynamics were simulated by using large eddy simulation (LES) and Lagrangian tracking with sufficiently fine computation mesh. A high-speed camera imaging of the MDI plume formation was conducted and compared with LES predictions. The aerosol discharge velocity at the MDI orifice was reversely determined to be 40 m/s based on the phase Doppler anemometry (PDA) measurements at two different locations from the mouthpiece. The LES-predicted instantaneous vortex structures and corresponding spray clouds resembled each other. There are three phases of the MDI plume evolution (discharging, dispersion, and dispensing), each with distinct features regardless of the actuation time. Good agreement was achieved between the predicted and measured doses in both the device, mouth–throat, and lung. Concerning the device–patient coordination, delayed MDI actuation increased drug deposition in the mouth and reduced drug delivery to the lung. Firing MDI before inhalation was found to increase drug loss in the device; however, it also reduced mouth–throat loss and increased lung doses in both the central and peripheral regions.

Exploring Torricelli's theorem with Arduino

We explore the dynamics of the water in a PVC pipe during the drain using two independent sensors simultaneously. We track the height of the water column and the discharge velocity of the water through the hole made in the lower part of the pipe. The ultrasonic distance sensor and the flow meter used as sensors were controlled by an Arduíno board. The acquired data follows the theoretical models but, with a coefficient of discharge smaller than 1.

Gas discharge sustained by powerful THz and sub-THz gyrotrons in the mixtures of noble gases with nitrogen

The discharge propagation velocity towards electromagnetic radiation of sub-THz and THz bands was measured in various noble gases (argon, krypton) mixtures with nitrogen in the wide pressure range (0.1 – 2 atm) for various field intensities into the focal spot (from dozen of kW/cm2 to several MW/cm2). In the experimental setups two different gyrotrons were used. In case of 263 GHz it was CW gyrotron with power up 1 kW, in case of 670 GHz – pulsed gyrotron (20 μs) with power up to 40 kW. In both cases the focusing system provided the size of the focal spot of (2–3)·λ, which ensured the investigation of discharge phenomena in a wide pressure range (0.1 – 2 atm). In both cases discharge appeared in the focal spot spread towards heating radiation into the area with the field intensity much less than one in the focal spot. Velocity of the discharge propagation was measured by using photos from speed camera with small exposure (down to 20 ns) and streak camera. It was demonstrated that discharge velocity increase along with pressure decrease and drops with electric field decrease as it moves away from the focal spot.

Thermal Pollution Mitigation and Energy Harnessing of the Condensation Process of an Olive Oil Extraction Refinery: A Case Study

This paper presents a model to assess strategies for bettering a hexane condensation system from an olive oil extraction refinery in Portugal’s mountainous north. The water used as a cooling fluid is discharged with a higher temperature than the mountain river, provoking the deterioration of the aquatic flora and fauna, leading to high environmental impact. The model allowed the comparison of solutions for different temperatures of discharge for summer and winter and possible heat recovery back to the factory. The current condensation system power is 1.838 MW and consists of a four-walled pond of 115.3 m3 that cools down the submerged hexane pipes. Nudging in the pond’s structure leads to the introduction of internal channels to increase the turbulence, thus increasing the hexane–water heat exchange rate. Heat recovery of 19.38 kW is possible for the water coming from the pond in the drying bagasse process inside the factory, before discharge into the river. However, the model demonstrates that the decrease in temperature after the heat recovery process falls short of avoiding thermal pollution, leading to complementary actions such as shading the channel or changing the discharge velocity or angle to mitigate the thermal pollution locally.

Particle Plume Velocities Extracted From High-Speed Thermograms Through Particle Image Velocimetry

Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) measurements are commonly used to determine velocity fields from a flow, given that sufficient tracers can be added and tracked to determine their motion. While these types of measurements are typically completed using high-speed cameras to capture the trajectories of the tracer particles, the experiments performed at the University of New Mexico generated extensive time-resolved infrared temperature image (i.e. thermogram) sets of a free-falling particle curtain captured at 300 Hz. The camera used for such measurements was an ImageIR8300 high-speed IR camera which provides a resolution of 640 × 512. The thermogram sets acquired have been extensively analyzed with two commonly used commercial PIV analysis packages, DaVis and PIVlab. The comparison between the two software packages showed consistent velocity fields and contours, along with corresponding average velocity as functions of discharge position. As expected, the vertical velocity component of these gravity-driven curtains follows a trend that resembles a free-falling sphere rather than a falling sphere experiencing drag. The study also found that the discharge velocity showed negligible effects due to the inlet particle temperature of the curtain. These results will be applied to the development of a methodology to estimate the mass flow rate of particle curtain and plumes using a novel non-intrusive image correlation methodology.

Flashover discharges dynamic with continuous and discontinuous pollution layer under lightning impulse stress

The paper is aimed at the study of the dynamic of discharges propagating at the surface of flat PVC insulator (i) with uniform continuous pollution layer and (ii) with uniform discontinuous pollution layer of different conductivities, under lightning impulse voltage for both polarities. It is shown that the morphology of discharges, the current and the voltage as well as the discharge velocity depend on the polarity of voltage, the configuration and the conductivity of the pollution layer; and the behavior of discharges is similar to that of discharges in long air gaps.

Effect of Friction Coupling on Discharge Velocity Profiles and Force Chain Distribution of Maize Particles in Silos

The evolution mechanism of discharge velocity profiles and force chain distribution of maize particles in silos was studied based on the interaction between internal and external rolling friction of particles. Through EDEM, the silo and maize grain models were established for unloading simulation, whose flow pattern was compared with the silo unloading test to verify the rationality of the simulation. By slice observation, we compared and analyzed the time evolution rules of particle mesoscopic parameters under different friction conditions. The results show that the larger the interparticle friction coefficient is, the longer the total discharge time is and the smaller the coefficient of rolling friction between particles, the earlier the particle flow from mass flow to funnel flow. For silos with the funnel, the reduction of interparticle friction will change the limit between the mass flow and the funnel flow, thus increasing the area of the funnel flow. When the coefficient of rolling friction increases, the vertical velocity and angular velocity of the particle near the silo middle increase. However, the effects of internal and external friction coupling on the vertical velocity of the side particle, the horizontal velocity of the whole particle, and the spatial distribution and probability distribution of the force chain are more significant.

Parametric Study on the Flow Profiles of Vertical Sinter Cooling Bed Using the DEM and Taguchi Method for Waste Heat Recovery

To comprehensively understand the effectiveness of external factors on flow characteristics and realize particle flow distribution evenly in bulk layers is an essential prerequisite for improving the performance of heat transfer in vertical sinter cooling beds (VSCBs). The numerical discrete element method (DEM) was applied to investigate external geometric and operational factors, such as the aspect ratio, geometry factor, half hopper angle, normalized outlet scale, and discharge velocity. Using the Taguchi method, a statistical analysis of the effect of design factors on response was performed. In this study, we focused more on external factors than granular properties, be remodelling the external factors was more useful and reliable for actual production in industries. The results showed that the most important factor was the aspect ratio, followed by the geometry factor, normalized outlet scale, half hopper angle, and discharge velocity for the dimensionless height of mass flow. In terms of the Froude number, the most influential factor was the normalized outlet scale with a contribution ratio of 33.81%, followed by the aspect ratio (22.86%), geometry factor (17.73%), discharge velocity (17.73%), and half hopper angle (11.83%).