Numerical investigation of capture efficiency of carrier particles in a Y-shaped vessel considering particle-particle interaction and Non-Newtonian behavior

Abstract

Chemotherapy kills the cancer cells by disrupting cell division. Although chemotherapy is an efficient treatment of cancer, it has many side effects since drugs circulate throughout the body. A promising approach to reduce these side effects is targeted drug delivery. The present study investigates the capture efficiency of carrier particles in a Y-shaped vessel under the effect of an external magnetic field produced by a current-carrying wire. Different parameters including magnetic, drag, buoyancy, and Lorentz forces have been considered. In addition, the effect of particle-particle interaction and non-Newtonian behavior of blood have been included. The generalized power-law (GPL) and modified Casson models are used for modeling non-Newtonian behavior. Results show that capture efficiency (CE) is increased as the blood velocity and the particle diameter are reduced and increased, respectively. Besides, it was found that considering particle-particle interaction has led to a reduction in CE in all cases. For example, the CE of nanoparticles for the case without interaction force is 51.66%, while for the case with interaction force is 43.33%, showing a nearly 16% reduction. Besides, it was observed that modified Casson provides a more accurate prediction for blood behavior than the GPL model.