James Jewkes

Computation of hemodynamics in the left coronary artery with variable angulations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the hemodynamic effect of variations in the angulations of the left coronary artery, based on simulated and realistic coronary artery models. Twelve models consisting of four realistic and eight simulated coronary artery geometries were generated with the inclusion of left main stem, left anterior descending and left circumflex branches. The simulated models included various coronary artery angulations, namely, 15°, 30°, 45°, 60°, 75°, 90°, 105° and 120°. The realistic coronary angulations were based on selected patients data with angles ranging from narrow angles of 58° and 73° to wide angles of 110° and 120°. Computational fluid dynamics analysis was performed to simulate realistic physiological conditions that reflect the in vivo cardiac hemodynamics. The wall shear stress, wall shear stress gradient, velocity flow patterns and wall pressure were measured in simulated and realistic models during the cardiac cycle. Our results showed that a disturbed flow pattern was observed in models with wider angulations, and wall pressure was found to reduce when the flow changed from the left main stem to the bifurcated regions, based on simulated and realistic models. A low wall shear stress gradient was demonstrated at left bifurcations with wide angles. There is a direct correlation between coronary angulations and subsequent hemodynamic changes, based on realistic and simulated models. Further studies based on patients with different severities of coronary artery disease are required to verify our results.

Computational fluid dynamics analysis of the effect of plaques in the left coronary artery

This study was to investigate the hemodynamic effect of simulated plaques in left coronary artery models, which were generated from a sample patients data. Plaques were simulated and placed at the left main stem and the left anterior descending (LAD) to produce at least 60% coronary stenosis. Computational fluid dynamics analysis was performed to simulate realistic physiological conditions that reflect the in vivo cardiac hemodynamics, and comparison of wall shear stress (WSS) between Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluid models was performed. The pressure gradient (PSG) and flow velocities in the left coronary artery were measured and compared in the left coronary models with and without presence of plaques during cardiac cycle. Our results showed that the highest PSG was observed in stenotic regions caused by the plaques. Low flow velocity areas were found at postplaque locations in the left circumflex, LAD, and bifurcation. WSS at the stenotic locations was similar between the non-Newtonian and Newtonian models although some more details were observed with non-Newtonian model. There is a direct correlation between coronary plaques and subsequent hemodynamic changes, based on the simulation of plaques in the realistic coronary models.

Modification to a turbulent inflow generation method for boundary-layer flows

NUMERICAL simulations of turbulent boundary layers require inflow/outflow boundary conditions. Downstream flow is particularly sensitive to the inlet boundary condition; it is necessary to provide a realistic, coherent series of time-varying velocity components to avoid wasteful and potentially costly readjustment behavior. Simple periodic boundary conditions (where downstream flow is reapplied at the inlet), while suitable for channel or pipe flow simulations, are poorly suited to spatially developing flows such as flat-plate boundary layers [1]. Lund et al. [2] (LWS) developed a quasi-periodic approach using an accurate scaling technique. This method used recycling of the downstream data to provide the inlet boundary condition on the inflow simulation (illustrated in Fig. 1). It has been successfully applied in both incompressible and compressible boundary-layer simulations [3–5]. Despite the wealth of publications that have successfully applied this method, a number of studies [5–10] have indicated that some aspects of LWS method can prove difficult to implement. Hurdles include spurious periodicity, error accumulation, and initial conditions. The main objective of this Technical Note is to propose simple modification to the original LWS formulation to address these issues, and also to avoid use of the 99% boundary-layer thickness.

Impact of plaques in the left coronary artery on wall shear stress and pressure gradient in coronary side branches

In this study, we investigate plaques located at the left coronary bifurcation. We focus on the effect that the resulting changes in wall shear stress (WSS) and wall pressure stress gradient (WPSG) have on atherosclerotic progress in coronary artery disease. Coronary plaques were simulated and placed at the left main stem and the left anterior descending to produce >50% narrowing of the coronary lumen. Computational fluid dynamics analysis was carried out, simulating realistic physiological conditions that show the in vivo cardiac haemodynamic. WSS and WPSG in the left coronary artery were calculated and compared in the left coronary models, with and without the presence of plaques during cardiac cycles. Our results showed that WSS decreased while WPSG was increased in coronary side branches due to the presence of plaques. There is a direct correlation between coronary plaques and subsequent WSS and WPSG variations based on the bifurcation plaques simulated in the realistic coronary models.

Haemodynamic analysis of the effect of different types of plaques in the left coronary artery

PURPOSE Coronary plaque has been shown to directly affect the blood parameters, however, haemodynamic variations based on the plaque configuration has not been studied. In this study we investigate the haemodynamic effects of various types of plaques in the left coronary bifurcation. METHODS Eight types of plaque configurations were simulated and located in various positions in the left main stem, the left anterior descending and left circumflex to produce a >50% narrowing of the coronary lumen. We analyse and characterise haemodynamic effects caused by each type of plaque. Computational fluid dynamics was performed to simulate realistic physiological conditions that reveal the in vivo cardiac haemodynamics. Velocity, wall shear stress (WSS) and pressure gradient (PSG) in the left coronary artery were calculated and compared in all plaque configurations during cardiac cycles. RESULTS Our results showed that the highest velocity and PSG were found in the type of plaque configuration which involved all of the three left coronary branches. Plaques located in the left circumflex branch resulted in highly significant changes of the velocity, WSS and PSG (p<0.001) when compared to the other types of plaque configurations. CONCLUSION Our analysis provides an insight into the distribution of plaque at the left bifurcation, and corresponding haemodynamic effects, thus, improving our understanding of atherosclerosis.

Reynolds averaged and large Eddy computations of flow and heat transfer under round jet impingement

The fluid dynamics and heat transfer characteristics of a turbulent round jet are modelled numerically using Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) and Large Eddy Simulation (LES). Meshes with varying degrees of coarseness, with both radial and axial refinements are investigated. Discretization is carried out using the finite volume method. The jet configurations are chosen to enable validation against well-established experimental jet-impingement heat-transfer studies, particularly that of Cooper et al. [1]. The Reynolds number studied is 23000. The height of discharge from the impingement wall is fixed at twice the jet diameter. The work critically examines the effect of Reynolds number, standoff distance and helps to ascertain the relative merits of various turbulence models, by comparing turbulent statistics and the Nusselt number distributions. The present work is carried out as a preliminary validation, in a wider study intended to determine the thermofluidic behaviour of jets impinging upon an oscillating surface.Copyright