Performance Enhancement of Shock Wave Assisted Drug Delivery Based on Converging Shock Tube Design

Ansari, Z.; Das, K.; Pallekonda, R. B.

doi:10.47176/jafm.18.11.3364

Performance Enhancement of Shock Wave Assisted Drug Delivery Based on Converging Shock Tube Design

Document Type : Regular Article

Authors

¹ Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Saitsohpen, Sohra-793108, Meghalaya, India

² Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Warangal, Telangana- 506004, India

10.47176/jafm.18.11.3364

Abstract

The development of needleless drug delivery systems (NDDS) has garnered a promising alternative to traditional needle-based methods. This work emphasizes an effort to utilize shock waves for NDDS. The NDDS consists of a shock tube and a delivery nozzle separated by a solid hyper-elastic membrane (HEM). For this purpose, consideration is given to a converging shock tube (CST) to analyze the shock dynamics and enhance the pressure intensity near the HEM. The fluid-structure interaction enables the energy transfer from the shock wave to the membrane, resulting in elastic deformation and propelling liquid medicines through the delivery nozzle. ANSYS Fluent 2023 is employed to model the 2-D axisymmetric domain of NDDS to investigate the impact of different parameters and factors on converging channel geometry. The numerical model is validated using empirical relations and previously published experimental data. In addition, COMSOL Multiphysics is used to examine the dynamic response of the membrane and capture drug ejection velocity. The analysis culminated in the development of a novel ST geometry featuring a converging design with flat segment for better performance. The study resulted in the use of a 60 mm converging channel with 4.76o inclination followed by a 30 mm flat segment. The modification shows almost 2.5 times enhancement in reflected pressure compared to the plane shock tube and approx. 1.3 times compared to CST. Furthermore, it is revealed that the shock strength (P2/P1) and reflected shock pressure (P5) significantly affect the ejection velocity. Ultimately, the system achieved an enhanced reflected pressure and improved drug ejection velocity of 99 m/s.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Computational Fluid Dynamics

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