BIFURCATION OF FLOW AND MASS TRANSPORT IN A CURVED BLOOD VESSEL

A numerical analysis of flow and concentration fields of macromolecules in a slightly curved blood vessel was carried out. Based on these results, the effect of the bifurcation of a flow on the mass transport in a curved blood vessel was discussed. The macromolecules turned out to be easier to deposit in the inner part of the curved blood vessel near the critical Dean number. Once the Dean number is higher than the critical number, the bifurcation of the flow appears. This bifurcation can prevent macromolecules from concentrating in the inner part of the curved blood vessel. This result is helpful for understanding the possible correlations between the blood dynamics and atherosclerosis.