Data from: Numerical simulations of targeted delivery of magnetic drug aerosols in the human upper and central respiratory system: a validation study

In the present study, we investigate the concept of the targeted delivery
of pharmaceutical drug aerosols in an anatomically realistic geometry of
the human upper and central respiratory system. The geometry considered
extends from the mouth inlet to the 8th generation of the bronchial
bifurcations and is identical to the phantom model used in the
experimental studies of [Banko {em et al.} (2015), Exp. Fluids, {bf 56}
(117):1-12]. In our computer simulations, we combine the transitional
Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) and the wall-resolved Large Eddy
Simulation (LES) methods for the air phase with the Lagrangian approach
for the particulate (aerosol) phase. We validated simulations against
recently obtained magnetic resonance velocimetry (MRV) measurements of
[Banko {em et al.} (2015), Exp. Fluids, {bf 56} (117):1-12] that provide
full a 3D mean velocity field for steady inspiratory conditions. Both
approaches produced good agreement with experiments, and the transitional
RANS approach is selected for the multi-phase simulations of aerosols
transport, because of significantly lower computational costs. The local
and total deposition efficiency are calculated for different classes of
pharmaceutical particles (in the $0.1mu$m$le d_{rm p} le 10mu$m range)
without and with a paramagnetic core (the shell-core particles). For the
latter, an external magnetic field is imposed. The source of the imposed
magnetic field was placed in the proximity of the first bronchial
bifurcation. We demonstrated that both total- and local-depositions of
aerosols at targeted locations can be significantly increased by an
applied magnetization force. This finding confirms the possible potential
for further advancement of the magnetic drug targeting (MDT) technique for
more efficient treatments for respiratory diseases.