Eventos Anais de eventos
COBEM 2021
26th International Congress of Mechanical Engineering
Modeling and simulation of aqueous humour flow in the human eye
Submission Author:
Caio Vinícius Schurgelies de Sá , DF
Co-Authors:
Caio Vinícius Schurgelies de Sá, André von Borries Lopes
Presenter: Caio Vinícius Schurgelies de Sá
doi://10.26678/ABCM.COBEM2021.COB2021-1378
Abstract
We revisit simple physical models for the fluid flow of aqueous humour in the anterior chamber of the human eye, comparing analytical solutions previously obtained in literature with numerical simulations. A brief introduction of basic eye physiology is presented, as well as the motivations in using fluid mechanics techniques to better understanding of important physiological abnormalities such as glaucoma. Buoyancy driven forces forces are present in the studied flow, due to a small thermal gradient, and hence we use the Boussinesq approximation to present the governing equations of mass, linear momentum and energy, with proper boundary conditions. We employ the so-called lubrication theory, due to the shallow geometry of the anterior chamber, to simplify the governing equations and solve them analytically. The velocity and temperature profiles are analyzed for physiological insight and understanding of the model limitations. We then implement a numerical simulation using the SU2 finite volume code, assuming laminar steady flow. The numerical solution is compared with the analytical one, showing that the two approaches are in good agreement considering the general flow behaviour. The analytical solution, however, doesn’t capture all its features, what was attributed manly to over simplifications in the energy equation. We also conclude that the buoyancy driven flow is the dominant mechanism inside the anterior chamber.
Keywords
Lubrication Theory, Boussinesq’s Approximation, Anterior Chamber, SU2
