Two-Fluid Model for Blood Flow Through a Tapered Arterial Stenosis: Effect of Non-zero Couple Stress Boundary Condition at the Interface

Abstract

The present paper concerns a mathematical model for steady flow of blood through tapered stenosed arteries with peripheral plasma layer near the wall. The model consists of a core region of suspension of all the erythrocytes assumed to be a couple stress fluid and a peripheral layer of plasma as a Newtonian fluid. A non-zero couple stress boundary condition at the interface is introduced. The values of velocity, wall shear stress and the flow resistance with respect to the non-zero couple stress condition at the interface for normal blood and diseased [polycythemia, plasmal cell dyscrasias and HBSS (sickle cell)] blood are computed. It is observed that the introduction of the non-zero couple stress boundary condition at the interface helps to increase the velocity and significantly reduces the resistive impedance which, in turn, improves or normalizes the blood flow in diseased state. This information of blood flow could be useful for the development of new diagnosis tools and medicines for many diseases.