Microflows in the Human Body Jeff French MAE 5130
Purpose Gain a better understanding of bloodflow Compare to Newtonian fluids Illustrate effects of health ailments
What is blood? Suspension of plasma (liquid) and blood cells Viscosity depends on red blood cell count, hematocrit and rouleaux For these reasons, blood is considered non-Newtonian and is modeled by the Herschel-Bulkley models
Navier-Stokes and blood Blood is a non-Newtonian fluid The Navier-Stokes equations reduce to: Which is very similar to the Hagen-Poiseuille Flow:
Velocity Profiles For blood, the profile is similar to:
Velocity Profiles A Newtonian comparison:
Reynolds Number and Shear Stresses Reynolds numbers for blood vessel diameters and high velocity:
Reynolds Number and Shear Stresses Wall shear stresses are proportional to blood vessel diameter
Bits and Pieces Many assumptions for blood flow Individual characteristics affect all aspects Analyses were performed under healthy, usual characteristics
Questions?