Steady flow of a power law fluid through a tapered non-symmetric stenotic tube

Abstract

Abstract A steady flow of a power law fluid through an artery with a stenosis has been analyzed. The equation governing the flow is derived under the assumption of mild stenosis. An exact solution of the governing equation is obtained, which is then used to study the effects of various parameters of interest on axial velocity, resistance to flow and shear stress distribution. It is found that axial velocity increases while resistance to flow decreases when going from shear-thinning to shear-thickening fluid. Moreover, the magnitude of shear stress decreases by increasing the tapering parameter. This problem was already addressed by Nadeem et al. [14], but the results presented by them were erroneous due to a mistake in the derivation of the governing equation of the flow. This mistake is highlighted in the "Formulation of the Problem" section.