Magnetohydrodynamic thermo-solutal blood flow in a porous multi-stenosed artery with Cross-fluid rheology

This study investigates the coupled effects of mass and heat diffusion on unsteady pulsatile blood flow through a multi-stenosed artery in the presence of a homogeneous porous medium and an applied magnetic field. The pulsatile nature of blood flow is modeled through a time-dependent pressure gradient, ensuring physiological relevance. The porous medium representation is used to simulate pathological conditions such as thrombus formation and atherosclerotic plaque deposition. Blood is modeled as a non-Newtonian fluid using the generalized Newtonian Cross constitutive relation to accurately capture its shear-dependent viscosity. The resulting time-dependent nonlinear governing equations are non-dimensionalized and solved numerically using a finite difference scheme. A comprehensive parametric analysis is conducted to examine the effects of key dimensionless parameters on velocity, temperature, concentration, wall shear stress, volumetric flow rate, heat transfer rate, and flow resistance. Results indicate that increasing stenosis height and magnetic field strength significantly suppress blood velocity, flow rate, wall shear stress, and heat transfer rate, while enhancing flow resistance and concentration levels. In contrast, increasing the Darcy number enhances velocity, flow rate, wall shear stress, and temperature while reducing flow resistance and concentration. Furthermore, a higher Prandtl number reduces temperature distribution, whereas increasing Brinkmann number intensifies thermal effects due to viscous dissipation. Opposite trends are observed for concentration profiles. Additionally, concentration increases with higher Schmidt number as well as an increasing Soret number. These findings provide important insights into the combined influence of pulsatility, magnetic field, porous effects, and thermo-solutal transport in pathological blood flow and may contribute to improved modeling and treatment strategies for cardiovascular diseases.