Transport pattern in the human nasal cavity

Nasal inspiration is important for maintaining the internal environment of the lung since it equilibrates ambient air with alveolar conditions (body temperature and fully saturated with water vapor) on reaching the nasopharynx. We conducted a computational study of air flow and transport phenomena in a nose-like model to evaluate the dynamic capacity of a normal human nose and the importance of its internal architecture. The results showed that the main flux of air tends to flow along the cavity floor of the nose. In a normal human nose there is ample time for heat and water exchange in order to condition the ambient air to near alveolar conditions.