Micropolar pulsatile blood flow conveying nanoparticles in a stenotic tapered artery : non-Newtonian pharmacodynamic simulation

Two-dimensional rheological laminar hemodynamics through a diseased tapered artery with amild stenosis present is simulated theoretically and computationally. The effect of differentmetallic nanoparticles homogeneously suspended in the blood is considered, motivated by drugdelivery (pharmacology) applications. The Eringen micropolar model has been deployed forhemorheological characteristics in the whole arterial region. The conservation equations formass, linear momentum, angular momentum (micro-rotation), and energy and nanoparticlespecies are normalized by employing suitable non-dimensional variables. The transformedequations are solved numerically subject to physically appropriate boundary conditions usingthe finite element method with the variational formulation scheme available in the FreeFEM++code. A good correlation is achieved between the FreeFEM++ computations and existingresults. The effect of selected parameters (taper angle, Prandtl number, Womersley parameter,pulsatile constants, and volumetric concentration) on velocity, temperature, and microrotational (Eringen angular) velocity has been calculated for a stenosed arterial segment. Wallshear stress, volumetric flow rate, and hemodynamic impedance of blood flow are alsocomputed. Colour contours and graphs are employed to visualize the simulated blood flowcharacteristics. It is observed that by increasing Prandtl number (Pr), the micro-rotationalvelocity decreases i.e., microelement (blood cell) spin is suppressed. Wall shear stressdecreases with the increment in pulsatile parameters (B and e), whereas linear velocityincreases with a decrement in these parameters. Furthermore, the velocity decreases in thetapered region with elevation in the Womersley parameter (α). The simulations are relevant totransport phenomena in pharmacology and nano-drug targeted delivery in hematology