Computer modelling of electro-osmotically augmented three-layered microvascular peristaltic blood flow

A theoretical study is presented here for the electro-osmosis modulated peristaltic three-layered capillary flow of viscous fluids with different viscosities in the layers. The layers considered here are the core layer, the intermediate layer and the peripheral layer. The analysis has been carried out under a number of physical restrictions viz. Debye-Hückel linearization (i.e. wall zeta potential ≤25mV) is assumed sufficiently small, thin electric double layer limit (i.e. the peripheral layer is much thicker than the electric double layer thickness), low Reynolds number and large wavelength approximations. A non-dimensional analysis is used to linearize the boundary value problem. Fluid-fluid interfaces, peristaltic pumping characteristics, and trapping phenomenon are simulated. Present study also evaluates the responses of interface, pressure rise, time-averaged volume flow rate, maximum pressure rise, and the influence of Helmholtz-Smoluchowski velocity on the mechanical efficiency (with two different cases of the viscosity of fluids between the intermediate and the peripheral layer). Trapping phenomenon along with bolus dynamics evolution with thin EDL effects are analyzed. The findings of this study may ultimately be useful to control the microvascular flow during the fractionation of blood into plasma (in the peripheral layer), buffy coat (intermediate layer) and erythrocytes (core layer). This work may also contributes in electrophoresis, hematology, electrohydrodynamic therapy and, design and development of biomimetic electro-osmotic pumps.