Transitional flows in arterial fluid dynamics

A three-dimensional model of a severely stenotic bifurcation is constructed from MR images of an atherosclerotic plaque. Grids of various densities are generated to compute the flow through the vessel. The Chien k–ε turbulence model and large eddy simulations are used to obtain transitional flow solutions at moderately high-Reynolds numbers. The transient solution is computed for steady inlet conditions. Large eddy simulations carried out with two CFD packages on sufficiently refined grids show vortex shedding downstream of the stenosis.