Numerical simulation of unsteady micropolar hemodynamics in a tapered catheterized artery with a combination of stenosis and aneurysm

The unsteady flow characteristics of blood are analyzed through a catheterized stenotic artery with post-stenotic dilatation. A rigid tube with a pair of abnormal wall segments in close proximity to each other is employed to geometrically simulate the diseased artery. A micropolar fluid model is used to capture the rheological characteristics of the streaming blood in the annulus. The mild stenosis approximation is employed to derive the governing flow equation which is then solved using a robust finite difference method. Particular attention is paid to the effects of geometrical parameters of the arterial wall and rheological parameters of the blood on axial velocity, flow rate, resistance impedance and wall shear stress. The global behavior of blood is also analyzed through instantaneous pattern of streamlines.