ARLA Deposition Calculator

The respiratory deposition calculator presented below has been developed at the Aerosol Research Laboratory of Alberta (ARLA) at the University of Alberta in order to facilitate easy implementation of the set of equations given by Finlay and Martin (Finlay, W. H. and Martin, A. R. "Recent Advances in Predictive Understanding of Respiratory Tract Deposition", Journal of Aerosol Medicine, Vol. 21:189-205, 2008) to predict total, extrathoracic, and lung deposition of inhaled aerosols over a wide range of parameters. Users are encouraged to refer to Finlay and Martin (2008), and references therein, in order to learn more about the mathematical models used by the calculator, as well as to assess the suitability of these models to specific applications. Please note that full predictions are not currently available for some possible input parameters; however, we plan to continue to update the calculator as our work in these parameter ranges progresses.
Appropriate reference to Finlay, W. H. and Martin, A. R. "Recent Advances in Predictive Understanding of Respiratory Tract Deposition", Journal of Aerosol Medicine, Vol. 21:189-205, 2008 and references therein, as well as this website, is required of those presenting or publishing data obtained using this calculator.
The concept of an online calculator arose from conversations with John Dennis, and we gratefully acknowledge Dr. Dennis in this regard.


--- Version 2.0 released Nov. 20, 2008 by John Storey-Bishoff, Andrew Martin and Warren Finlay

--- Version 1.0 released March 1, 2008 by Warren Finlay and Andrew Martin

--- Beta Version released Dec. 21, 2007 by Warren Finlay and Andrew Martin

ARLA Deposition Calculator

Particle Properties

Enter the particle density in g/cm3:


Single particle size.

    Enter the particle diameter in micrometers:

Log-normal mass distribution.

    Enter the distribution Mass Median Diameter in micrometers:

    Enter the distribution Geometric Standard Deviation:

Gas Properties

Enter the gas density in g/cm3 (default for air at standard conditions):

Enter the gas viscosity in g cm-1 s-1 (default for air at standard conditions):


Breathing Conditions

Tidal breathing Single inhalation with breath hold (sets Total Deposition Fraction (TDF) to 1) Single inhalation through mouthpiece (sets TDF to 1)

Enter the inhalation flow rate in ml/sec (default for typical adult male tidal breathing):

For tidal breathing:

    Enter the tidal volume in ml (default for typical adult male):


Respiratory Tract Geometry

For tidal breathing:

    Enter the functional residual capacity in ml (default for typical adult male):

For single breath inhalation:

    Enter the centerline length of the mouth-throat in cm (default for average adult):

    Enter the volume of the mouth-throat in cm3 (default for average adult):

For single breath through mouthpiece:

    Enter the diameter of the mouthpiece in cm:

    Enter the distance from the mouthpiece exit to the oral cavity wall in cm (default for typical oral geometry):

    Enter the turbulence intensity (u'/U) exiting the mouthpiece as a percentage of the average flow velocity:


Gravity

For tidal breathing:

    Enter the gravitational acceleration in m/s2: