Deposition of droplets from the trachea or bronchus in the respiratory tract during exhalation: A steady-state numerical investigation

Respiratory droplets are bioaerosols that originate from the respiratory tract. Knowing their deposition characteristics during exhalation would facilitate the understanding of the source of large respiratory droplets and their importance in the spread of respiratory infectious diseases. In this study, computational fluid dynamics is used to simulate the motion and deposition of droplets released from either trachea or bronchi in a realistic reconstruction of the human respiratory tract. Influences of airflow structures and locations of droplet generation on droplet deposition are studied, and droplets with diameters between 1 and 50 mu m are examined. The deposition of droplets is found to be influenced mainly by the droplet diameter and the flow rate of exhalation. The number of droplets released from the trachea or bronchi that can escape into the environment decreases as the flow rate increases. When the flow rate is low (10 L/min), the critical diameter of droplets generated in the lower respiratory system that can escape into the air is approximately 12 mu m, but this diameter is approximately 5 mu m when the flow rate is medium (30 to 60 L/min) or large (90 L/min). The larynx is the dominant site of deposition for droplets smaller than the critical diameter, while trachea and bronchus are more important locations that account for the deposition of larger droplets. This study indicates that the lower respiratory tract is an important source of fine droplets (<5 mu m) in indoor environments, and larger droplets probably originate from the upper respiratory tract, which needs further investigation. Copyright (c) 2020 American Association for Aerosol Research