Using nasal sprays as a drug delivery method to the nasal cavity is widespread due to their convenience and effectiveness in treating various conditions. The high velocity of droplets exiting the nozzle can significantly impact the flow field, leading to changes in deposition patterns. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the interactions between the droplets and the fluid. In this research, we propose an innovative and cost-effective approach to investigate the two-way interactions between droplets and the fluid in numerical simulations of nasal sprays. We employ ultra-high-speed photography using an infinitesimal light pulse to examine spray puffs and extract droplet characteristics. We aim to determine whether the two-way interaction assumption produces significant differences in a numerical model. We first measured the droplet size distribution and spray cone angle in unconfined ambient conditions to achieve the objective. We then extended the measurement to real-sized 3D printed models of the nasal passage truncated in various sections to analyze how droplet deposition occurs in different nasal locations. We also conducted transient numerical simulations based on the measured data to investigate the importance of two-way interactions assumption. The results of the numerical simulations were then compared to the experimental results. Comparing the experimental and numerical results demonstrated that the two-way interaction assumption produced significant differences, indicating that it must be considered while modeling the nasal spray. Overall, this research's findings can significantly contribute to optimizing the design of nasal sprays and enhancing the effectiveness of drug delivery to the targeted location.
QC 20250704