Newtonian and Non-Newtonian Blood Rheology Inside a Model of Stenosis

Abstract

In order to imitate the atherosclerosis artery disease and determine the key issues, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is able to play a leading rule in the analysis of flow physics within the clogged arteries, in particular the stenosis artery. The problem of blood flow blockage through the blood vessel has been investigated numerically within a stenosis artery. In this work, a CFD technique was employed to solve the three-dimensional, steady, laminar and non-Newtonian Carreau model blood flow through a stenosis artery using Star-CCM+ software. The shape of stenosis that has been selected is a trapezoidal with two cases (70% and 90% blockage). Shear rate, streamlines, vorticity and importance factor are examined to assess the influence of non-Newtonian model through the test section, the Carreau model was compared with Newtonian model. The clinical significance of the shear rate is reported for the examined cases, observing that the levels of non-Newtonian model are predicted to be higher in the 90% blockage than that observed within the 70%; the same finding as related with the axial velocity and vorticity. The levels of re-circulation areas and vorticity are showed to be enlarged in the Carreau model compared with the case of Newtonian.