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Magnetic Field Effects on 3D Blood Flow Patterns of Straight and Stenotic

Arteries

Article in Journal of Computational and Theoretical Nanoscience · September 2013

DOI: 10.1166/asl.2013.5018

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 Magnetic Field Effects on 3D Blood Flow
Patterns of Straight and Stenotic Arteries
Nursalasawati Rusli1,∗, Ahmad Beng Hong Kueh2,
and Sasa Kenjeres3

1 Institute of Engineering Mathematics, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, 02000 Kuala Perlis, Perlis, Malaysia
2 Steel Technology Centre, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 Skudai, Johor, Malaysia
3 Department of Multi-Scale Physics, Faculty of Applied Science, Delft University of Technology, Leeghwaterstraat 39,
2628 CJ Delft, The Netherlands

This paper investigates the mathematical modeling of the biomagnetic fluid (human blood) flow in arteries with
different geometries, subjected to various externally applied non-uniform magnetic fields. In allowing for the
effects of the magnetic field, the steady Navier-Stokes equation for the standard flow is expanded with inclusion
of the Lorentz and magnetization forces. In addition, a simplified set of Maxwell’s equations is prescribed to
ensure the problem is mathematically closed. The model is then discretized employing the finite volume method
and used for a parametric study involving arteries with and without stenosis under various magnetic strength
exposures. It is evident that an existence of non-uniform magnetic field can create significant changes especially
in the secondary flow patterns and flow streamlines, greater effects of which are shown in arteries with stenosis.
On practical ground, the findings can offer interesting correlation in assisting the optimization of the magnetically
targeted drug delivery, a nowadays commonly exercised but laboriously performed clinical application.

1. INTRODUCTION was first developed on the basis of the ferrohydrodynamics

One of the major concerns of chemical treatment of diseased cells
is seldom related to insufficient supply of effective drugs, but the
inability to transport and deposit these drugs in an exact manner
on affected area, which could inflict threat on adjacent healthy
organs and tissues. On this regard, encouraging solution couples
with supportive findings have been evident in the clinical
application in terms of magnetic drug targeting (MDT) in
loco-regional cancer treatment.1-3 Such attractive discovery has
exerted research interest in the biomagnetic fluid dynamics (BFD),
a study of the interaction of biological fluids in the presence of
magnetic field. BFD has been investigated by several researchers
for numerous applications in bioengineering and medicine. Among
them are the development of magnetic devices for cell separation,
targeted transport of drugs i.e. using magnetic particles as drug
carriers, magnetic wound treatment, and cancer tumor
treatment.4-6 In order to examine the BFD, mathematical models
(FHD).7 To make the description more realistic, an extended BFD
mathematical model, applying the magnetohydrodynamics (MHD)
with an inclusion of the Lorentz force, had been subsequently
developed.8 The model was then expanded to incorporate the
electric potential term for the expression of the total current density
and non-Newtonian flow effect on temperature distribution. 9-10
Thus far, several numerical techniques have been employed for
the solution of such a complex and coupled fluid problem. Amongst
the popular approaches are those derived from the finite analytic,11
finite difference, 12-13 and finite volume methods,14 most of which
have overlooked the concerted importance of flow domain
geometry and the secondary flow effects coming from the
magnetic field.
Therefore, this paper puts chief concern on the investigation of
the effects of magnetic field on the secondary flow behaviors of
biofluid in straight and stenotic channels. First, the governing

∗
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed
equations and the boundary conditions are presented. It is
followed by the numerical model description, which then
accompanied by result and discussion before we make
conclusions on our main findings.
2. GOVERNING EQUATIONS
For convenience, we consider in the current paper the description
of a laminar, Newtonian, and electrically conducting
incompressible bio-fluid (blood), which is subjected to externally
applied electromagnetic field, shown as
∂V
∂t
1
(
+ (V ⋅ ∇ )V = ν ∇ 2V + − ∇P + F L + F M
ρ
) (1)
∇ × H = J, J = σ (−∇φ + V × B ) (2)
2 magnetic source placed parallel to the flow direction 5 mm from the
∇ φ = ∇ ⋅ (V × B ) (3)
where V , P , φ , ρ , σ and ν are the velocity, pressure, electrical
potential, density, electric conductivity and kinematic viscosity of
the fluid. H, J and B are the magnetic field intensity, total
electric current and magnetic induction, respectively. In equation
(1), the linear momentum expression, additional body forces
caused by electromagnetic fields are the Lorentz force F L and ( )
( )
magnetization force F M . The Lorentz force is caused by electric
conductivity of the fluid moving through an imposed magnetic field
whereas the magnetization force is bio-fluid magnetization
response due to the non-uniformity of the imposed magnetic field,8
given respectively as:
M
F L = J × B and F = µ 0 (M ⋅ ∇ )H (4)
where µ 0 is the vacuum magnetic permeability and M is the
magnetization. In order to obtain mathematically closed (solvable)
system of equations, additional equations describing distribution of
imposed electromagnetic field and generated electric potential are
included, the expressions of which are coming from a simplified set
of Maxwell’s equations shown in equations (2) and (3).
(a)
(b)
Fig. 1. Longitudinal and transverse views of (a) straight and (b) stenotic
arteries and the location of magnetic field generating wire.
For blood vessels with diameter exceeding 0.1 mm, blood can
be regarded as homogeneous fluid.15 Also, for parallel magnetic
field, the magnetization force can be written as:
F M = µ 0 M ∇H (5)
where M = M and H = H . Neglecting temperature changes,
we write for the magnetization M = χH where χ is the
magnetic susceptibility.7
3. NUMERICAL MODEL DESCRIPTION
Having stated the governing equations, we next describe the
problem domain of our study. The longitudinal and transverse
views of straight and stenotic arteries as well as a wire that carries
arterial wall are shown in Figure 1. Material properties used for the
model are summarized in Table 1.
Equations (1) to (5) are discretized using a second-order finite
volume method adopting self developed code for general
non-orthogonal geometries. In order to reduce numerical diffusion,
the second order central differencing scheme is used for all terms
of equations. Note verification has been made and shown
elsewhere for the numerical model.16
Table 1. Properties of blood used for numerical simulations.
Density Kinematic Electrical Magnetic
viscosity conductivity susceptibility
(deoxygenated)
ρ (kgm −3 )
ν (m2 s −1) σ (Sm −1 ) (χ deoxy )
1050 3.1x10-6 0.8 3.5x10-6
4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The contours of velocity components normalized by the maximum
longitudinal velocity, Wm, for different magnetic fields are shown in
Figures 2 and 3 for straight and stenotic arteries, respectively. Note
that only one half of the contours extracted at the distance z = 0.06
m are exhibited since the flow patterns are symmetrically
distributed. An increase in magnetic field strength is shown
row-wise for 0T and 10T, respectively. The result shows that the
absence of magnetization force (0T) imposes negligible effect on
all velocity components except that of longitudinal for straight
artery, resembling the behavior of an initially unperturbed uniaxial
flow through a cylinrical channel that is free of any geometrical
anomalous. In the case of stenotic arteries, the secondary motion
flow effects can be clearly seen even before a magnetization force
is prescribed, differing from those of straight arteries readily shown
in Figure 2, hinting an occurrence of flow disturbance exerted by
the anomalous geometry. For straight arteries, U/Wm develops
uniformly and symmetrically at the top and bottom parts about the
horizontal axis passing through the center of artery, following an
increase in magnetic strength. Antisymmetric pattern about the
horizontal axis that passes through the arterial center can be
Fig. 2. Velocity component contours and streamline plots of blood flow in a straight artery when exposed to a non-uniform magnetic field. First column
– U/Wm (left) and V/Wm (right); second column – W/Wm (left) and streamlines (right). First row – 0 T; second row – 10T.
observed for V/Wm, indicating a twisting deformation for flow in
y-direction especially when high magnetic strength is applied. As
for W/Wm, the flow is fairly uniform although slightly distorted when
exposed to magnetic field strength of 10T for both geometries.
Although differ in terms of magnitude and pattern, the symmetrical
and antisymmetrical contour distributions remain observable for
stenotic arteries for U/Wm and V/Wm, respectively. Overall, the
blood flows with stenotic segment increase substantially compared
to those of straight artery. An absence of streamline is clearly
illustrated for the flow without magnetic exposure for both
geometries. Existence of vortices has been exhibited for 10T plot
in Figure 2, in consistence with the application of magnetic field.
For stenotic artery, vortices seen in straight artery have been
reduced merely to outer region away from the arterial center
although symmetrical pattern demonstrated in those of straight
arteries can still be noticed.
5. CONCLUSIONS
Numerical model for biofluid has been formulated and investigated
for different artery geometries, straight and stenotic, with an
inclusion of the Lorentz force and electrical potential for various
exposures of magnetization forces. Increase in magnetic strength
has been found imposing influence on the flow pattern of biofluid in
an increasing manner. Anomaly in arterial channel, in the present
case the stenosis, can cause flow disturbances and rises in all
velocity components even before magnetization force is applied. In
addition, magnetization force inflicts symmetrical and
antisymmetrical secondary motion flow patterns for U/Wm and
V/Wm, respectively. Vortices present in the streamlines of straight
artery are reduced to concentrate only at outer region near the
arterial wall of stenotic artery. In closing, demonstration of the
present numerical model’s capability in displaying various effects
of blood flow attributable to flow geometries and the presence of
magnetic field is worthy of emphasis. Also, it is imperative to note
that in terms of clinical applications, the model can be used to
explore optimal drug delivery design that is laborious and costly
when performed under practical experimentation.
Acknowledgments: The authors thank the Ministry of Higher
Education (MOHE), Malaysia and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
(UTM) for research grant (RUGS Q.J130000.7122.00J13) and
facilities. NR acknowledges Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP) for
study leave.
Fig. 3. Velocity component contours and streamline plots of blood flow in a stenotic artery when exposed to a non-uniform magnetic field. First
column – U/Wm (left) and V/Wm (right); second column – W/Wm (left) and streamlines (right). First row – 0 T; second row – 10T.
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