Investigation of Coronavirus Deposition in Realistic Human Nasal Cavity and Impact of Social Distancing to Contain COVID-19: A Computational Fluid Dynamic Approach
- Mohammad Zuber1, John Valerian Corda1, Milad Ahmadi2, B. Satish Shenoy1, Irfan Anjum Badruddin3,*, Ali E. Anqi3, Kamarul Arifin Ahmad4, S. M. Abdul Khader5, Leslie Lewis6, Mohammad Anas Khan7, Sarfaraz Kamangar3
1 Department of Aeronautical & Automobile Engineering, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, 576104, India
2 Department of Mechanics of Solids, Surfaces and Systems, Faculty of Engineering Technology, University of Twente, Enschede, 7522, The Netherlands
3 Mechanical Engineering Department, College of Engineering, King Khalid University, Abha, 61421, Saudi Arabia
4 Department of Aerospace Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, 43400, Malaysia
5 Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, 576104, India
6 Department of Paediatrics, Kasturba Medical College & Hospital, Manipal, 576104, India
7 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi, 110025, India
* Corresponding Author: Irfan Anjum Badruddin. Email:
(This article belongs to this Special Issue: Computer Modelling of Transmission, Spread, Control and Diagnosis of COVID-19)
2 Department of Mechanics of Solids, Surfaces and Systems, Faculty of Engineering Technology, University of Twente, Enschede, 7522, The Netherlands
3 Mechanical Engineering Department, College of Engineering, King Khalid University, Abha, 61421, Saudi Arabia
4 Department of Aerospace Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, 43400, Malaysia
5 Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, 576104, India
6 Department of Paediatrics, Kasturba Medical College & Hospital, Manipal, 576104, India
7 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi, 110025, India
* Corresponding Author: Irfan Anjum Badruddin. Email:
(This article belongs to this Special Issue: Computer Modelling of Transmission, Spread, Control and Diagnosis of COVID-19)
Received 16 November 2020; Accepted 27 November 2020; Issue published 15 December 2020
Abstract
The novel coronavirus responsible for COVID-19 has spread to
several countries within a considerably short period. The virus gets deposited
in the human nasal cavity and moves to the lungs that might be fatal. As per
safety guidelines by the World Health Organization (WHO), social distancing
has emerged as one of the major factors to avoid the spread of infection.
However, different guidelines are being followed across the countries with
regards to what should be the safe distance. Thus, the current work is an
attempt to understand the virus deposition pattern in the realistic human
nasal cavity and also to find the impact of distance that could be termed as a
safety measure. This study is performed using Computational Fluid Dynamics
as a solution tool to investigate the impact of COVID-19 deposition (i) On
a realistic 3D human upper airway model and (ii) 2D social distancing protocol for a distance of 0.6, 1.2, 1.8, and 2.4 m. The results revealed that the
regional deposition flux within the nasal cavity was predominantly observed
in the external nasal cavity and nasopharyngeal section. Frequent flushing
of these regions with saltwater substitutes can limit contamination in healthy
individuals. The safe distancing limit estimated with 1 m/s airflow was about
1.8 m. The extensive deposition was observed for distances less than 1.8 m in
this study, emphasizing the fact that social distancing advisories are not useful
and do not take into account the external dynamics associated with airflow.
Keywords
COVID-19; upper respiratory tract; virus deposition; social distancing
Cite This Article
Zuber, M., Corda, J. V., Ahmadi, M., Shenoy, B. S., Badruddin, I. A. et al. (2020). Investigation of Coronavirus Deposition in Realistic Human Nasal Cavity and Impact of Social Distancing to Contain COVID-19: A Computational Fluid Dynamic Approach. CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, 125(3), 1185–1199.
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