A Numerical Study to Assess a Proper Relationship between Respiration Rhythm and Athletes' Activities

Adjusting the rhythm of breath is one of the important parameters that a successful athlete must consider. In this paper, the relationship between man's activity and respiration rhythm is studied. A numerical simulation is carried out on a 2D axi-symmetric model using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method. The model considers the oxygen uptake in the pulmonary capillaries in alveolar microcirculation system. The model consists of three main parts: a stationary capillary membrane, a moving plasma region and four semi-circular-shaped RBCs. Results show an inverse relationship between saturation time of RBCs and respiration rhythm. Using an inversion factor, a relationship is presented to assess the proper respiration rhythm for different exercise states.