Description of the tasks or assignment:
Medspray uses established micro- and nanotechnology processes to manufacture spray nozzles. The orifices of our spray nozzles are extremely tiny (1 to 30 micrometer, for reference: a human hair is 70 micrometers thick). Our spray nozzle units are based on plain orifice nozzles, creating Rayleigh jets. A 2 micron hole creates a jet, breaking up into mono-disperse 4 micron droplet trains. By changing the diameter of the hole in the spray nozzle, the droplet size can be engineered for optimal performance. The Medspray nozzles can be used for various (medical) purposes, especially where a slow-moving soft spray is required. Thanks to our high-tech nozzle chips, we can tailor sprays to suit any application.
One of the projects Medspray is working on is a nebuliser system for (among other) hospital breathing circuit applications. In this application medicine is nebulised directly into the breathing circuit of a ventilated patient. The diameter of the aerosol plays a major role in the amount of medicine that reaches the lungs or is lost due to deposition in for example the hoses. Medspray can control the initial diameter of the aerosol very well, but evaporation is a significant factor inside the breathing circuit. If done well, the evaporation can be used to our advantage to increase the amount of medicine that reaches the patients lungs.
Goal:
The goal of this assignment is to build and validate a numerical model of the evaporation of aerosol in the breathing circuit. Important factors to be taken into account are for example temperature & humidity, air and liquid flow rate, temperature of the hoses, and composition of the aerosol. The model can be validated through measurements in our lab.In addition, an open source Multiple-Path Particle Dosimetry (MPPD1) model can be used to estimate the deposition of aerosols in the respiratory tract.
Medspray is looking for an internship student starting September 2025. Applications may be sent to jobs@medspray.com.