3-dimensional computational study of blood flow in pathophysiologically affected arteries simulated in OpenFOAM

Blood flow in the body is, in general, laminar. But various physiological and pathological conditions may cause disruption in the laminar flow and result in turbulence. Turbulent flow is characterized by non-linearity and non-homogeneity, and is, hence, regarded as a symptom of cardiovascular ailments. This study juxtaposes the flow of blood in normal and stenosed arterial blood vessels. For the purpose of this study, we consider blood as a non-Newtonian, incompressible fluid with a high Reynolds Number and is modeled using the Ostwald de Waele Equation. The general flow mechanics is based on flow in a tube, which is a classic case in fluid mechanics determined by the Continuity Equation and the Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes Equation. Stenosis is characterized by a spike in flow pressure, pressure exerted on wall surfaces and flow speed, and this study visualizes the flow in a 3D CAD model of the vessel. This study is targeted towards people researching stenosis of arteries, fluid dynamics in general and other related fields.