Studies of fluids simulating blood-like rheological properties and applications in models of arterial branches 1

We studied several non-Newtonian fluids to determine how closely they simulate the flow behavior of human blood. The viscous and viscoelastic properties of these fluids were compared with human blood samples in steady flow and transient flow Couette viscometers and in an oscillatory tube flow viscoelasticity analyzer. We examined: 1)

A polyacrylamide suspension (Separan AP30 and AP45) to which we added 4% isopropanol and 0.01% magnesium chloride.

2)

A suspension of 2% Dextran with 16% by weight biconcave disc-shaped particles simulating red blood cells.

3)

40% ghost cells prepared according to Dodge in Tri(hydroxymethyl) aminomethane. These ghost cells were used to simulate the two-phase flow behavior of blood.

4)

A suspension of 5% Dextran (70000) with 12% polystyrene particles (diameter of 1 μm) and 10 mMol calcium chloride.

All these fluids closely approximate the flow behavior of blood and can be used in a variety of different experimental situations. To measure velocity distribution using a laser-Doppler-anemometer, we used fluids #1 and #3 in a rigid T-junction simulating the first septal branch of the left descending coronary artery. The measurements were done in steady and pulsatile flow experiments at different flow rate ratios. The fluids showed large differences in velocity profiles compared to Newtonian fluids.