🫀 Hemodynamics in a Bifurcating Artery: Effects of Stenosis

 🧠 Project Overview  

This study explores the impact of arterial blockage (stenosis) on blood flow in a bifurcating artery using a Non-Newtonian Carreau model to represent the rheology of blood. The simulation was carried out in ANSYS Fluent 2023 R2 under unsteady (pulsatile) flow conditions, capturing the physiological dynamics more accurately than Newtonian assumptions. 

🎯 Objectives

• Investigate how localized stenosis alters velocity and wall shear stress (WSS).
  
  

• Identify flow separation, recirculation zones, and critical high-shear regions.
  
  

• Quantify changes in WSS evolution due to the obstruction using a realistic blood model.

🛠️ Methodology

• Geometry: Bifurcating artery with and without a blockage.
  
  

• Solver: ANSYS Fluent 2023 R2, transient simulation.
  
  

• Fluid Model: Carreau Non-Newtonian model to capture shear-thinning behavior of blood.
  
  

• Boundary Conditions: Physiologically relevant inlet pulse profile.
  
  

• Outputs: Velocity magnitude, wall shear stress (WSS), and time-resolved WSS profiles.

📊 Key Findings

• Peak WSS Amplification: The blocked artery exhibited significantly higher peak WSS compared to the normal artery, especially at the bifurcation point.
  
  

• Flow Pattern Distortion: Velocity contours showed strong asymmetry and disturbed flow downstream of the stenosis, with localized flow separation.
  
  

• Temporal Dynamics: WSS evolution over the pulse cycle revealed sharper, earlier peaks in the blocked case, suggesting increased mechanical stress on arterial walls.