Numerical Modeling of Red Blood Cell Suspended in a Channel With Uniform Magnetic Field

Abstract

Numerical simulations were carried out for the red blood cell (RBC) suspended in a stationary fluid. Elastic spring model were used to calculate the RBC membrane, and finite volume method was used to solve the flow field. The magnetic effect on the RBC was model by considering the anisotropic diamagnetic susceptibility of the phospholipids and transmembrane protein. The torque produced by these components at each element edge of the mesh generated on the cell surface was first calculated, and then the force applied to each node was evaluated. Experimental measurement of the RBC behavior in microchannels was also carried out under uniform magnetic field with the intensity of 8T using microscope and high-speed video camera to validate the present computation. The numerical simulation showed that the RBC rotates and orients so that the concave surface aligned parallel to the magnetic field. This behavior and the time that was required for the RBC to fully orient agreed well with the present experimental results. These results affirm not only the validity of the present method, but also the possibility of using microchannels to evaluate the magnetic characteristics of the RBCs.