AIRFLOW ANALYSIS OF HUMAN RESPIRATORY SYSTEM AT DIFFERENT PHYSIOLOGICAL CONDITIONS

Abstract

In this paper, an attempt has been made to analyze the effect of different physiological conditions i.e., rest, moderate and extremely active on the branch Reynolds number, pressure drop, lost work, alveolar partial O2 pressure, airway resistance and surface tension. From the analysis, it has been observed that local Reynolds number and tracheal pressure drop along with the generations of branch. The alveolar O2 pressure and surface tension decrease with the increased activity level. Work lost due to different major and minor losses in the respiratory tract increases with the increase in activity level. A similar trend was also found for the airway resistance i.e., increases with the increase in activity level. A new parameter, Breathing Work Number (BWN) in respiratory mechanics is introduced. BWN is the ratio of the work of breathing to the sum of work of breathing and work loss, which might find a significant application to denote the respiratory health. From the analysis, it is found that BWN decreases with the increase in activity level.