This study aimed to introduce a one-dimensional (1D) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model for airway resistance and lung compliance to examine the relationship between airway resistance, pressure, and regional flow distribution. We employed five healthy and five asthmatic subjects who had dynamic computed tomography (CT) scans (4D CT) along with two static scans at total lung capacity and functional residual capacity. Fractional air-volume change ([Formula: see text]) from 4D CT was used for a validation of the 1D CFD model. We extracted the diameter ratio from existing data sets of 61 healthy subjects for computing mean and standard deviation (SD) of airway constriction/dilation in CT-resolved airways. The lobar mean (SD) of airway constriction/dilation was used to determine diameters of CT-unresolved airways. A 1D isothermal energy balance equation was solved, and pressure boundary conditions were imposed at the acinar region ( model A) or at the pleural region ( model B). A static compliance model was only applied for model B to link acinar and pleural regions. The values of 1D CFD-derived [Formula: see text] for model B demonstrated better correlation with 4D CT-derived [Formula: see text] than model A. In both inspiration and expiration, asthmatic subjects with airway constriction show much greater pressure drop than healthy subjects without airway constriction. This increased transpulmonary pressures in the asthmatic subjects, leading to an increased workload (hysteresis). The 1D CFD model was found to be useful in investigating flow structure, lung hysteresis, and pressure distribution for healthy and asthmatic subjects. The derived flow distribution could be used for imposing boundary conditions of 3D CFD. NEW & NOTEWORTHY A one-dimensional (1D) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model for airway resistance and lung compliance was introduced to examine the relationship between airway resistance, pressure, and regional flow distribution. The 1D CFD model investigated differences of flow structure, lung hysteresis, and pressure distribution for healthy and asthmatic subjects. The derived flow distribution could be used for imposing boundary conditions of three-dimensional CFD.

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This study aims to investigate the pressure changes, bubble dynamics, and flow physics inside the U- and C-shaped pipes with four different gravitational directions. The simulation is performed using a 1D centerline-based mesh generation technique along with a two-fluid model in the open-source software, OpenFOAM v.6. The continuity and momentum equations of the two-fluid model are discretized using the pressure-implicit method for the pressure-linked equation algorithm. The static and hydrostatic pressures in the two-phase flow were consistent with those of single-phase flow. The dynamic pressure in the two-phase flow was strongly influenced by the effect of the buoyancy force. In particular, if the direction of buoyancy force is the same as the flow direction, the dynamic pressure of the air phase increases, and that of the water phase decreases to satisfy the law of conservation of mass. Dean flows are observed on the transverse plane of the curve regions in both C-shaped and U-shaped pipes. The turbulent kinetic energy is stronger in a two-phase flow than in a single-phase flow. Using the 1D centerline-based mesh generation technique, we demonstrate the changes in pressure and the turbulent kinetic energy of the single- and two-phase flows, which could be observed in curve pipes.