Biomedical & Healthcare: Inhaler Asthma Spray Device

Description

This project simulates the operation of an inhaler asthma spray using ANSYS Fluent.

Shortness of breath is the distressing sensation of not being able to draw a full breath, often felt during physical activity, where the body seems unable to take in enough oxygen. Respiratory sprays are one of the common treatments. An inhaler is a portable device that holds a specific medication and lets the patient deliver it directly into the airways as they breathe in. A key advantage of this delivery method is that the drug goes mainly to the airways and lungs rather than being absorbed by other organs, which gives inhalers fewer side effects than oral or injectable medications.

The geometry was created in Design Modeler. The model includes the spray device itself, with an internal hole that serves as the point where the drug is injected and dispersed, along with a surrounding computational zone that captures the region where the spray disperses. The domain was then meshed in ANSYS Meshing using an unstructured grid of 752,277 cells.

Simulation Methodology

Because the goal is to track individual drug particles, we use a Lagrangian approach, which follows each particle separately through a discrete space. This is handled with the Discrete Phase Model (DPM). An injection is defined to release the discrete particles: the injection is of the Surface type, the particles are Inert, and the release is unsteady, occurring over 0.1 seconds.

Results & Conclusion

After solving, we examined particle tracking at several time steps and generated an animation of the injection. Following the particles over time shows how the device disperses the medication and confirms that the spray is delivered effectively. The results indicate the simulation was set up and solved correctly.