A phase-field blood flow model with RBCs interacting through a 2D Lennard-Jones type of potential

Under a thermodynamically consistent phase-field modelling framework for the binary incompressible (quasi-incompressible) fluid, which allows for the different properties (densities, viscosities and heat conductivities) of each fluid component, we will first show how to derive such a model for motions and deformations of vesicles (e.g. red blood cells or RBCs) in a blood flow passing through a narrowed blood vessel. 

We will also propose a 2D Lennard-Jones type of interaction potential for vesicle-vesicle and vesicle-vessel wall interactions. Mass conserving and energy law preserving finite element schemes are designed and showed for these models. A few examples including the benchmark RBC deformation under stretching forces, RBC passing through a narrowed vessel wall, cell-vessel wall attraction, cell-cell interactions and cell aggregation, and how RBCs divide in the blood flow at a vessel bifurcation are computed and will be presented in the talk.

Venue: Fulton G20