Effects of stenotic severity on the flow structure in a circular channel under a pulsatile flow

Stenosis is the drastic reduction in the cross-sectional area of blood vessel caused by accumulations of cholesterol. It affects the blood flow property and structure from the fluid dynamic point of view. To understand the flow phenomenon more clearly, a particle image velocimetry method is used and the fluid dynamic characteristics in a circular channel containing stenosis structure is investigated experimentally in this study. Different stenotic-structured models made of acrylic material are subjected to a pulsatile flow generated by an in-house designed pulsatile pump. The inner diameter of the tube inlet is 20 mm and the length of reduced area for stenosis ranges between 35mm and 40mm. It is circulated continuously through a circular channel by the pump system. Pressure is measured at four different sections during systolic and diastolic phase changes. The phase-averaged velocity field distribution shows a recirculation regime after the stenotic structure. The effects of the stenotic obstructions are found to be more severe when the aspect ratio is varied.