Attributes of oscillatory physiological blood flow through 3-D geometry of single stenosed artery

Abstract

The present study investigates the significant changes of flow behavior for 65 and 85 percentages severities of stenosis by area. The blood is assumed to be incompressible, homogeneous and Newtonian, while artery is assumed to be a rigid wall. The transient analysis is performed using ANSYS-14.5. Oscillatory physiological and parabolic velocity profile has been imposed for inlet boundary condition. The investigation has a Reynolds number range of 96 to 800. Pressure based solver and finite volume method are used for calculations. The flow pattern, wall shear stress (WSS), pressure, velocity, streamline contours, cross sectional and Centre-line velocity distribution are observed at early-systole, peak-systole and diastole for better understanding of arterial disease. Wall Shear Stress distribution shows that as severity increases, shearing of flow also increases for all cases. Thus maximum stress is exerted in throat region at peak systole. Pressure distribution also demonstrates that at all cases 85% stenotic artery creates more force than 65% stenotic artery at their pre-stenotic region. Interestingly, a recirculation region is visible at the post stenotic region in 85% stenotic artery for all cases and recirculation region increases with increasing minimum velocity at the inlet flow. From streamline contours it can be interpreted that 85% stenosis can create vortex at any time phase. So 85% stenosis is very harmful for its high probability of creating vortex.