Applied Physics in Anesthesia

APPLIED PHYSICS IN ANESTHESIA

DR SACHANA KC
DEPARMENT OF ANESTHESIA
OVERVIEW

 Flow and velocity

 Laminar and turbulent flow
FLOW
Flow is defined as the quantity of a fluid i.e. a gas or liquid passing in unit
time
F=Q /t
F=flow
Q= quantity of liquid
T=time
CONTD…
Flow changes from laminar to turbulent and is halved when the Reynold’s number
which is a product of certain factors crosses the value of 2000.
Reynolds number = vpd/η

 V = Velocity
 P = Density
 D = Diameter
 η = Viscosity
Rough surfaces, sharp bends, type of gases all affect the type of flow.
TYPES OF FLOW
 Laminar flow
 Transitional flow
 Turbulent flow
LAMINAR FLOW
 A fluid flows in a steady manner

 No eddies or turbulence
 Present in smooth tubes
 Velocity is low
 Flow is greatest at centre ( 2x mean flow)
 To draw the fluid , a pressure difference must be present across the ends of tube.
CONTD…
 Laminar flow
 Reynold’s number< 2000
 'low' velocity
 Fluid particles move in straight lines
 Simple mathematical analysis possible
CONTD...
CONTD…
Pressure= P
Flow= Q
P/Q=R, R = resistance of tube
DETERMINANTS OF LAMINAR FLOW
 Pressure across tube

 Diameter of tube
 length of tube
 Viscosity of tube
CONTD…
 Laminar flow through tubes (blood vessels, ETT) is directly proportional to the
pressure gradient (P) & fourth power of the radius and inversely proportional to
viscosity & length
 Hagen – Poiseuille’s, Law takes into account all the factors effecting LAMINAR
FLOW.
 Q = Π (P1 – P2) r4/ 8 η l
 P1 – P2 = Pressure difference across the tube
 r4 = Radius to the power of four
 η = Viscosity, d = diameter of tube
 L = Length
 Π and 8 = constant
TURBULENT FLOW
 When the flow rate of fluids through a tube (blood vessel, breathing circuits, ETT)
exceed a certain velocity (Reynolds number) laminar flow changes into turbulent
flow producing eddies and reducing the flow to half.
 Turbulent flow is facilitated by corners, irregularities and sharp angle etc.
 Physical property of gas effecting turbulent flow is density, to which it is reversely
proportional
CONTD…
 Reynolds's number > 4000

 'High' velocity
 Particle paths completely irregular
 Average motion is in the direction of the flow
 Changes/fluctuations are very difficult to detect
 Most common type of flow.
CONTD…
Onset of turbulent flow
Turbulent flow occurs –

 Sharp increase of flow
 Increase in viscosity or density of the fluid
 Decrease in diameter of tube
CONTD…
 Laminar flow change to turbulent flow if constriction is reached

 Velocity of fluid increases
 Fluid is no longer in a smooth fashion
 Swirls in eddies
 Resistance is higher than for the same laminar flow.
 Flow is no longer directly proportional to pressure
CONTD…
Figure: Onset of turbulent flow

CONTD…
Q α √P
 Q= flow
 P = Pressure
α 1/√ l
 l = length of tube ρ = density of
fluid
α 1/ √ρ
CONTD…
P= pressure
Q= Flow
P ∞ Q2
CONTD…
 All these factors are combined to an index known as Reynolds number

 Reynold number = vρ∂ / ŋ
v= linear velocity of fluid

ρ = Density
η =viscosity
d = diameter of tube
CONTD…
Application:
 Using an undersized ETT may cause a tremendous decrease in the flow of gases
 Every piece of anesthetic equipment; because of diameters & shape of connectors, number
& arrangement will effect FGF. Wide bore & curved rather than sharp angles should be
preferred.
 In respiratory tract obstruction, oxygen – helium mixtures are given to reduce density and
improve the flow.
 Laminar flow during quiet breathing is changed to turbulent during speaking & coughing
leading to dyspnea.
CONTD…
 In the flow meter at low flows, Hagen – Poiseuille’s Law applies because the flow is
laminar while at higher flows, the law applicable to turbulent flow is applicable.
 Numerical value for critical flow in liters per minute for the anesthetic gas mixture of
O2 + N2O is the same as the internal diameter in millimeters (e.g for an ETT of 8mm,
it is 8L/min; inbreathing circuit it is 22L/min). At these flow rates the flow changes to
turbulent from laminar
CONTD…
Transitional flow
 Transitional flow
 Reynolds's number-2000-4000
 'medium' velocity
VISCOSITY
 Viscosity of fluid also affects the flow of fluid
 Viscosity increase in following condition
 Policythemia
 Increased fibrinogen level
 Hypothermia
 Cigarette smoking
 Age
 Increased viscosity leads to increase risk of vascular occlusion .
CONTD…
Anaesthetic implication
 During fluid resuscitation, a short wide bore cannula e.g.14G is superior to a 20G
cannula or a central line.
 Intubating patients with very small tube increases resistance to flow and thus pressure
increases to deliver the same amount of flow through the tube.
CRITICAL VELOCITY
 This is the velocity for a given fluid for a given tube
beyond which laminar flow gets converted into
turbulent flow.
 When velocity of fluid exceeds this critical velocity the
character of flow changes from laminar to turbulent.
 This critical velocity applies only for a given fluid in a
given tube.
CLINICAL ASPECTS OF FLOW
 Laminar flow is present in bronchi, smaller air passage as they are narrower than
trachea.
 Turbulent flow is present in corrugated rubber tubing .
 Sharp bend or angles increase turbulence
 In quiet breathing , the flow in resp tract is laminar, while speaking , coughing or
taking deep breath turbulent flow tends to occur .
 A lining layer of mucus may affect the flow .
 In circulatory system, bruit and murmur can be heard due to turbulence of flow.
VARIABLE ORIFICE FLOW METER
 In a variable orifice flow meter there is mixture of turbulent and laminar flow and
for calibration purposes both viscosity and density is important.
 At low flows, gas flow depends on the viscosity of the gas.
 At higher flows, gas flow depends on the viscosity of the gas.
 Recallibration is required if flow meter is used for a different fluid than for what it
was initially desigened
BERNOULLI’S PRINCIPLE
Bernoulli’s Principle
Flowing fluid possesses two forms of energy, kinetic energy and potential energy. If
there is a constriction in the tube, kinetic energy increases and potential energy
(pressure) falls, since the total energy must remain the same.
When a fluid flows through a tube of varying diameter, the pressure is lowest at the
point of maximum velocity, because pressure energy drops as kinetic energy increases.
CONTD…
 Describes the relationship between the velocity and pressure exerted by a moving
liquid.
 Applied to both liquids as well as gases.
 Venturi effect is based on the Bernoulli’s principle.
 Venturi effect is entrainment of fluid (gas or liquid ) due to the drop in pressure
 When a fluid flows through a constriction in the tube there is reduction in fluid
pressure.
 The fluid velocity correspondingly increases in order to satisfy the law of
conservation of energy.
CONTD…
Venturi Apparatus
 Any apparatus containing a tube with a constriction and an opening at the constriction
will suck in air / fluid due to low pressure at that site (Bernoulli’s principle). Such an
apparatus is known as Venturi Apparatus
Application
 Suction apparatus, nebulizers and fixed performance venturi masks are such devices.
VENTURI
VENTURI
VENTURI OXYGEN MASK
CONTD…
Coanda Effect
 If such a constriction occurs at bifurcation because of increase in velocity and reduction in the pressure,
fluid (air, blood) tends to stick to one side of the branch causing mal-distribution. =tendency of stream
of fluid or gas to continue to flow along a convex surface
Applications
 Mucus plug at the branching of tracheo-bronchial tree may cause mal-distribution of respiratory gases.
 Unequal flow may result because of atherosclerotic plaques in the vascular tree.
 Fluid logic used in ventilators employs this principle to replace valves or mobile parts.
Thank you !!!

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APPLIED PHYSICS IN ANESTHESIA

 Flow and velocity

Reynolds number = vpd/η

 A fluid flows in a steady manner

 Pressure across tube

 Reynolds's number > 4000

Onset of turbulent flow

Turbulent flow occurs –

 Laminar flow change to turbulent flow if constriction is reached

Figure: Onset of turbulent flow

 All these factors are combined to an index known as Reynolds number

v= linear velocity of fluid

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