Abstract
This paper deals with both pressure drop and heat transfer characteristics of thixotropic fluid flow through a thin tube experimentally to describe a precise model of blood flow in blood vessels in human body. Bentonite-water suspension was employed as a model of blood which is a thixotropic fluid. Thin PVC tubes whose diameters are from 0.5 to 4mm were utilized as a model of blood vessel. Sample fluid was driven from temperature controlled vessel with rotary pump by which a pulsate flow like blood flow was realized. Pulsation was set from 0.7Hz to 2.7Hz whose range is similar to actual pulsation of human's blood flow. Both the overall heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop through the test tube were investigated under a variety of tube diameter, sample concentration, and flow rates. Uncertainties of thermophysical properties of sample material (bentonite suspension) made the evaluation by non-dimensional numbers difficult. Experimental results showed that the sample concentration had a considerable effect on the pressure drop, while for the heat transfer coefficient, it has small effect within the parameter range of the present study.
