CFD Analysis of Blood Flow through Bifurcated Carotid Artery (of Human): Newtonian vs. Non Newtonian Blood Model

Abstract

Blood behaves like either a Newtonian or Non-Newtonian fluid depending on the shear stress it experiences. In the current study, a 3D model of a human bifurcated carotid artery was used to get insights into the differences between Newtonian and Non-Newtonian blood flow. As the experimental or numerical setup will be made simpler by representing blood as a Newtonian fluid. We are interested in whether it makes sense to represent blood as a Newtonian fluid. Fluent (ANSYS, 15) software was used to run two different simulations, one for blood as a Newtonian fluid and the other for a Non-Newtonian fluid. The Carreau model has been used to define the Non-Newtonian behavior of blood. A qualitative and quantitative comparison of Newtonian and Non-Newtonian blood flow has been done based on blood velocity, pressure, and wall shear stress (WSS). All comparisons were done at the minimum and maximum intake velocities of a cardiac cycle. To evaluate how close Newtonian and Non-Newtonian results are a root mean square error (RMSE) calculation has been done. At the time of minimum inlet velocity, the differences between the corresponding Newtonian and Non-Newtonian values ranged from zero to small. Additionally, the differences between corresponding Newtonian and Non-Newtonian velocities lessen at maximum inlet velocity. The impacts of blood's Non-Newtonian behavior have been found minimal. Blood may be modeled as a Newtonian fluid for simplicity in the experimental or numerical analysis of blood flow through the carotid artery, with minimal error.