Modeling and numerical simulation of non-Newtonian arterial blood flow for mild to severe stenosis

The fundamental cause of coronary heart disease is thought to be atherosclerosis. Blood flow in arteries under plaque formation is widely studied using both experimental and theoretical methods in literature. This paper presents a comprehensive study on the mathematical modelling and numerical simulation of non-Newtonian blood flow in an idealized stenosed artery. Non-Newtonian behavior of blood flow is assumed by Casson and Quemada fluid models. An analysis is performed for four forms of stenosis, 50%, 60%, 70%, and 80%, which are defined by a narrowing of the artery's diameter. The mathematical model for non-Newtonian fluid transport is presented in the form of highly nonlinear coupled partial differential equations. A finite-volume approach is used to solve the system of equations numerically. The solutions are obtained using a hybrid mesh with hexahedron and tetrahedron control volumes. Numerical solutions are validated first with experimental results from the literature for a Newtonian fluid, and then the results are extended to non-Newtonian fluid models. It can be observed that the non-Newtonian nature of the fluid model influences flow dynamics and is a significant aspect to consider for arteries with small diameter. The velocity and pressure drop rise as the degree of stenosis develops. Wall shear is substantially larger in stenotic passages and severity of stenosis is directly related with this increasing behavior.