This study explores the transition to turbulence in a healthy aorta, a condition usually characterized by laminar flow despite high Reynolds numbers. However, recent MRI studies have revealed instances of turbulence in healthy individuals. Using direct numerical simulation (DNS) and the spectral element method (SEM), the researchers numerically solved the three-dimensional, incompressible Navier-Stokes equations to investigate this phenomenon. Pulsatile inflow conditions were applied to the aortic inlet, with varying flow distributions to the three primary branches. The study found that turbulence primarily begins near the inner wall of the aortic arch during systolic deceleration, with the flow remaining laminar during systolic acceleration. Flow distribution significantly influences turbulence progression, and the flow within the primary branches was notably disturbed during systole. The findings offer a detailed analysis of the spatial and temporal evolution of aortic turbulence and its relationship to flow distribution and aortic structure.This research was supported by Basic Science Research Program funded by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) (2020R1I1A3066617)
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Any reuse must credit the author(s) and provide a link back to this page.