Transversally enriched pipe element method (TEPEM): An effective numerical approach for blood flow modeling.
In this work, we present a novel approach tailored to approximate the Navier-Stokes equations to simulate fluid flow in three-dimensional tubular domains of arbitrary cross-sectional shape. The proposed methodology is aimed at filling the gap between (cheap) one-dimensional and (expensive) three-dimensional models, featuring descriptive capabilities comparable with the full and accurate 3D description of the problem at a low computational cost. In addition, this methodology can easily be tuned or even adapted to address local features demanding more accuracy. The numerical strategy employs finite (pipe-type) elements that take advantage of the pipe structure of the spatial domain under analysis. While low order approximation is used for the longitudinal description of the physical fields, transverse approximation is enriched using high order polynomials. Although our application of interest is computational hemodynamics and its relevance to pathological dynamics like atherosclerosis, the approach is quite general and can be applied in any internal fluid dynamics problem in pipe-like domains. Numerical examples covering academic cases as well as patient-specific coronary arterial geometries demonstrate the potentialities of the developed methodology and its performance when compared against traditional finite element methods. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
National Laboratory for Scientific Computing, LNCC/MCTI, Av. Getúlio Vargas 333, 25651-075, Petrópolis, Brazil.|National Institute of Science and Technology in Medicine Assisted by Scientific Computing, INCT-MACC, Petrópolis, Brazil.
Luis
L
Mansilla Alvarez
National Laboratory for Scientific Computing, LNCC/MCTI, Av. Getúlio Vargas 333, 25651-075, Petrópolis, Brazil.|National Institute of Science and Technology in Medicine Assisted by Scientific Computing, INCT-MACC, Petrópolis, Brazil.
Pablo
P
Blanco
National Laboratory for Scientific Computing, LNCC/MCTI, Av. Getúlio Vargas 333, 25651-075, Petrópolis, Brazil.|National Institute of Science and Technology in Medicine Assisted by Scientific Computing, INCT-MACC, Petrópolis, Brazil.
Carlos
0000-0003-0911-7849
C
Bulant
CONICET, Centro Atómico Bariloche-CNEA, Instituto Balseiro-UNCUYO, Av. Bustillo 9500, 8400, S.C. de Bariloche, Argentina.
Enzo
E
Dari
Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Alessandro
A
Veneziani
National Laboratory for Scientific Computing, LNCC/MCTI, Av. Getúlio Vargas 333, 25651-075, Petrópolis, Brazil.|National Institute of Science and Technology in Medicine Assisted by Scientific Computing, INCT-MACC, Petrópolis, Brazil.
Raúl
R
Feijóo
D000465:Algorithms; D003198:Computer Simulation; D020342:Finite Element Analysis; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D008955:Models, Cardiovascular
coronary blood flow; hemodynamics; high order; model order reduction; patient-specific