Loading...

A Dynamic Mesh Computational Fluid Dynamics Model of Lung on a Chip

Mehrabian, Yalda | 2021

417 Viewed
  1. Type of Document: M.Sc. Thesis
  2. Language: English
  3. Document No: 54824 (58)
  4. University: Sharif University of Technology, International Campus, Kish Island
  5. Department: Science and Engineering
  6. Advisor(s): Sani, Mehdi; Khayyat, Ali Akbar
  7. Abstract:
  8. Recent investigations on organs-on-chip devices have broadened our insight into the functions of the organs and their responses to pharmaceuticals. Studies on improving the efficiency of these chips are on going. The development of chips for growing various organs and possibly their possible interconnection are other hot topics in this field. This research is an attempt to simulate a Lung-on-a-Chip (LOC) device using Ansys Fluent software. Currently a new experimental technique for setting up a lung-on-a-chip device has been made public (Zamprogno et.al.ˏ̎ Second-generation lung-on-a-Chip with an array of stretchable alveoli made with a biological memvrane ̎ ˏComm. Biologyˏ2021ˏ4:168.). This advanced design features hexagonal gold structures to support a collagen-elastin membrane over which the cells are cultured. This, of course, is a big step forward in organ-on-a-chip, especially LOC, because cells will be grown much closer to their natural environment and will dynamically perform in a more realistic scenario similar to what they do in alveoli. One of the outstanding properties of this and previous lung-on-a-chip devices is their deformation capability to simulate normal breathing process. To simulate such a process dynamic mesh capability is needed. Current dynamic mesh technology in Fluent requires user-defined-functions (UDF) to define the details. In this work the required UDFs to compute motion the details of each node were v developed and tested in Python and then translated to C and tested again inside Fluent to ensure proper functionality. Then based on the seminal experimental work of Zamprogno et.al.(above) a new micro channel design for lung on the chip is proposed and numerically modeled.The results of the simulation show that this new design provides a good environment to simulate real conditions in the lung for the cultured cells. Results indicate that static mesh models are incapable of representing real physics and therefore insufficient. Dynamic mesh model also proved that the new design presented here complies with the shear stress limitation for cells to survive for blood inlet velocity of 0.00011m/s which leads in the average shear stresses in 10 to 20 dyne cm−2 range
  9. Keywords:
  10. Biofluid ; Fluent Software ; Dynamic Mesh ; Lung on Microchip ; Organ on Chip

 Digital Object List

 Bookmark

No TOC