August 2021 Update

Over 7 months into the year and lots of exciting news from the CFD research team!

Our undergraduate student member Patrick has been accepted to present at The Australian Society of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery (ASOHNS) Annual Scientific Meeting in September 2021 where he will present his work on using adjoint-gradient optimisation methods for septal deviation pre-surgical planning. This work will provide surgeons with optimised post-surgical geometry based exclusively on the fluid dynamic properties of the system and allow for physical/virtual surgery protocol verification.

The team has been busy finalising their work for journal submission! Congratulations to Sara, Hana, Praween & Kendra!

• Sara's work on the Sedimentation effects on particle position and inertial deposition in 90º circular pipe bends has been accepted for publication by Powder Technology. The study proposed an analytical solution to predict particle trajectory from different release locations, helping identify the initial particle distribution upstream of a bend and obviating the need for long upstream straight-pipe sections in CFD analysis.
• Kendra & Hana have published their study on the Effects of head tilt on squeeze-bottle nasal irrigation in the Journal of Biomechanics — a detailed CFD analysis of the air–water interface during nasal irrigation at a range of head-tilt positions to determine the most effective head position for irrigation procedures.
• Praween & Hana have published their study on The impact of nasal adhesions on airflow and mucosal cooling in Respiratory Physiology & Neurobiology — a comprehensive analysis of the effect of nasal adhesions on fluid flow and heat and mass transfer through a series of models with attached virtual adhesions.

We welcome guest speakers and future collaborators from the King Mongkut's Institute of Technology, Ladkrabang (Bangkok, Thailand), presenting work covering a large scope of CFD/FEA simulation techniques for manufacturing processes — and welcome Worapol Tangsopa to the team! Worapol has published work ranging from ultrasonic cleaning of fluid systems to sand anti-erosion devices and will provide a unique range of skills to the team.

And finally, our Masters' student member (or should I say PhD candidate) James has completed his masters and is one step closer to a career in research! He provided a comprehensive experimental investigation of nasal sprays and airflow within the nasal cavity.