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Numerical study of blood flow in a microchannel bifurcation with the large deformation model
Author(s) -
Ye Swe Soe,
Ju Meongkeun,
Ng Yan Cheng,
Tan Kok Soon,
Kim Sangho
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.27.1_supplement.899.2
Subject(s) - microchannel , mechanics , bifurcation , lattice boltzmann methods , immersed boundary method , simple shear , shear flow , materials science , deformation (meteorology) , shear stress , physics , nonlinear system , mathematics , composite material , boundary (topology) , mathematical analysis , quantum mechanics
The present study investigated the red blood cell (RBC) strain‐stiffening behaviour in a microchannel bifurcation flow. The numerical model employed the Lattice Boltzmann Method and the Immersed Boundary Method. Vitally, a large deformation model was developed for the extensional and bending behaviour of the RBC membrane at high shear condition. Two sets of simulations were conducted for a 90° bifurcation microchannel with 55% inlet hematocrit over a range of non‐dimensional shear rate G from 0.0125 to 0.4; one simulation set employed the large deformation membrane model while the other was conducted with the Neo‐Hookean membrane model. The highly elongated RBCs simulated by the Neo‐Hookean model fail to match experimental observations of RBC shapes at the corresponding shear rates whereas the simulation set conducted with the large deformation model exhibited limited RBC deformation that is in good agreement with experimental results at high shear rates. Consequently the large deformation model predicts a lower incidence of RBCs travelling into the plasma‐rich daughter channel. In conclusion, this comparative study underlines the necessity of representing finite strain behaviour of RBCs when subjected to high shear stress present at the bifurcation zone. This work was supported by NMRC/CBRG/0019/2012.