Numerical simulation of the red blood cell aggregation and deformation behaviors in ultrasonic field

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to propose an immersed boundary lattice Boltzmann method (IB-LBM) considering the ultrasonic effect to simulate red blood cell (RBC) aggregation and deformation in ultrasonic field. Numerical examples involving the typical streamline, normalized out-of-plane vorticity contours and vector fields in pure plasma under three different ultrasound intensities are presented. Meanwhile, the corresponding transient aggregation behavior of RBCs, with special emphasis on the detailed process of RBC deformation, is shown. The numerical results reveal that the ultrasound wave acted on the pure plasma can lead to recirculation flow, which contributes to the RBCs aggregation and deformation in microvessel. Furthermore, increasing the intensity of the ultrasound wave can significantly enhance the aggregation and deformation of the RBCs. And the formation of the RBCs aggregation leads to the fluctuated and dropped vorticity value of plasma in return.

Keywords: IB-LBM; RBC aggregation; RBC deformation; Recirculation flow; Ultrasound.