Numerical simulation of red blood cell suspensions behind a moving interface in a capillary

TL;DR

This paper presents a computational model using an immersed boundary method to simulate red blood cell dynamics behind a moving interface in capillaries, revealing how RBCs with higher velocities form concentrated slugs.

Contribution

It introduces a novel simulation approach for RBCs behind moving interfaces in capillaries, incorporating a spring network model of cell membranes.

Findings

Higher velocity RBCs form concentrated slugs behind the interface.

The model successfully captures tanking-treading and inclination angles of RBCs.

Simulation results align with expected flow behaviors in capillaries.

Abstract

Computational modeling and simulation are presented on the motion of red blood cells behind a moving interface in a capillary. The methodology is based on an immersed boundary method and the skeleton structure of the red blood cell (RBC) membrane is modeled as a spring network. The computational domain is moving with either a designated RBC or an interface in an infinitely long two-dimensional channel with an undisturbed flow field in front of the domain. The tanking-treading and the inclination angle of a cell in a simple shear flow are briefly discussed for the validation purpose. We then present the results of the motion of red blood cells behind a moving interface in a capillary, which show that the RBCs with higher velocity than the interface speed form a concentrated slug behind the interface.