Small-bubble transport and splitting dynamics in a symmetric bifurcation

Qamar, Adnan; Warnez, Matthew; Valassis, Doug T.; Guetzko, Megan E.; Bull, Joseph L.

Small-bubble transport and splitting dynamics in a symmetric bifurcation

Type

Article

Authors

Qamar, Adnan
Warnez, Matthew
Valassis, Doug T.
Guetzko, Megan E.
Bull, Joseph L.

KAUST Department

Water Desalination and Reuse Research Center (WDRC)

Online Publication Date

2017-06-28

Print Publication Date

2017-08-18

Date

2017-06-28

Abstract

Simulations of small bubbles traveling through symmetric bifurcations are conducted to garner information pertinent to gas embolotherapy, a potential cancer treatment. Gas embolotherapy procedures use intra-arterial bubbles to occlude tumor blood supply. As bubbles pass through bifurcations in the blood stream nonhomogeneous splitting and undesirable bioeffects may occur. To aid development of gas embolotherapy techniques, a volume of fluid method is used to model the splitting process of gas bubbles passing through artery and arteriole bifurcations. The model reproduces the variety of splitting behaviors observed experimentally, including the bubble reversal phenomenon. Splitting homogeneity and maximum shear stress along the vessel walls is predicted over a variety of physical parameters. Small bubbles, having initial length less than twice the vessel diameter, were found unlikely to split in the presence of gravitational asymmetry. Maximum shear stresses were found to decrease exponentially with increasing Reynolds number. Vortex-induced shearing near the bifurcation is identified as a possible mechanism for endothelial cell damage.

Citation

Qamar A, Warnez M, Valassis DT, Guetzko ME, Bull JL (2017) Small-bubble transport and splitting dynamics in a symmetric bifurcation. Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering 20: 1182–1194. Available: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10255842.2017.1340466.

Acknowledgements

This research has been funded by NIH [grant number RO1EB006467].