A Numerical Study of Nonaxisymmetric Stokesian Flow in a Circular Tube

A numerical study of the nonaxisymmetric Stokesian flow of a Newtonian fluid in a rigid circular tube of fixed radius has been performed. The analysis presented here is an integral part of the problem of modeling the flow of blood near the ostia of the intercostal arteries of rabbits in order to study a possible factor in the initiation of atherosclerosis. The method of lines is used to reduce the mathematical problem to one of solving a system of first-order ordinary differential equations along lines parallel to the tube axis. Solutions are obtained analytically using matrix eigenvalue techniques for the first two Fourier components of the flow and the accuracy of the numerical method is verified by suitable comparison with the results of independent computations.