International Journal of Advances in Science and Technology,

Vol. 4, No.1, 2012

Peristaltic transport of a viscous fluid
in an asymmetric channel with permeable walls

R. Hemadri Reddy* A.Kavitha* S. Sreenadh** CS Reddy*

* School of Advanced Sciences, VIT University, Vellore-632014. T.N, India.


** Department of Mathematics, Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati, A.P, India.

Abstract

Peristaltic Transport of a viscous fluid in an asymmetric channel with permeable walls is studied
under the long wavelength and low Reynolds number assumptions. The solution for the stream
function is obtained by neglecting inertia and curvature effects. The velocity distribution and the
volume flow rate are also determined. The pressure rise (drop) over one wavelength is obtained. The
effect of Darcy number Da, Phase difference | and the permeability parameter including slip o on
the flow quantities are discussed graphically.

Key words: Peristalsis, Viscous fluid, Reynolds number, Permeability, Pressure rise.


1. Introduction
Peristalsis is a mechanism for pumping fluid in a channel by means of a moving contractile
ring around the channel which pushes the material onward. This is similar to constricting a distensible
tube with ones fingers and moving the occlusion forward along the channel. It is an inherent property
of many smooth biological systems such as ureter, stomach and other glandular ducts throughout the
body (Guyton, 1986). The same principle has been applied by Engineers to pump corrosive fluids,
slurries and so on.
Even though peristalsis is a well-known phenomenon observed in biological systems for many
decades, the first attempt is made by Latham (1966) to discuss the fluid mechanics of peristaltic
transport. This experimental work is followed by mathematical modeling of Burns and Parkes (1967)
for the flow of homogeneous fluids in a channel due to an infinite train of peristaltic waves. The
corresponding axisymmetric case is discussed by Barton and Raynor (1968). Later Shapiro et al.
(1969) made a detailed study on the peristaltic pumping of a Newtonian fluid in a two-dimensional
channel and a tube under Long wavelength and low Reynolds number assumptions. A complete
review of the work in the field is presented by Jaffrin and Shapiro (1971), Rath (1980) and Srivastava
and Srivastava (1984). In most of these studies the amplitude ratio is assumed to be small. Relaxing
such restrictions, Takabatake et al. (1988) made a numerical study on the peristaltic transport.
Recently physiologists reported that uterine peristalsis results due to myometrial contractions
and occurs in both symmetric and asymmetric directions, De Vries et al. (1990), Kunz et al. (1997) and
Franchin et al. (1998). Intra-uterine fluid motion, induced by myometrial contractions are responsible
for embryo transport to a successful implantation site at the fundus. These contractions change
direction during the menstrual cycle. In view of this, in the study of fluid flow in the saggital cross-
section of uterine cavity, one has to take the asymmetry property also into consideration. Recently
Eytan and Elad (1999) suggested a mathematical model for intra-uterine fluid motion in a saggital
cross-section of the uteres. They found a time dependent flow solution in the laboratory frame of
reference applying lubrication approach. A numerical technique has been developed by Pozrikidis
(1987) to study the peristaltic transport in an asymmetric channel under Stokes flow conditions to
understand the fluid dynamics involved. Applying a wave frame of reference Mishra and Ram
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International Journal of Advances in Science and Technology,
Vol. 4, No.1, 2012

Chandra Rao (2003) made a study on peristaltic transport of a Newtonian fluid in an asymmetric
channel and discussed the effects of peristalsis on the pumping characteristics namely, trapping and
reflux. Some of the biological systems such as stomach and uteres can not be treated as symmetric
ducts. A better understanding of such systems can be made when we consider the asymmetric property
together with the permeability of the wall.
In this chapter peristaltic transport of a Newtonian fluid in an asymmetric channel with
permeable walls is studied under long wavelength and low Reynolds number assumptions. The
velocity field, the stream function, the volume flux and the pressure rise over one cycle of the wave are
obtained. The effects of Darcy number and amplitude ratio on the flow quantities are discussed.
2. Mathematical formulation and solution
Consider the motion of an incompressible viscous fluid in a two-dimensional channel (See
figure.1.1) induced by sinusoidal wave trains propagating with constant speed c along the permeable
walls of the channel
( )
1 1 1
2
Y H d a cos X ct ,
t
= = +

.. upper wall (1)

( )
2 2 1
2
Y H d b cos X ct ,
t | |
= = +|
|

\ .
lower wall (2)
where
1 1
a , b are the amplitudes of the waves, is the wavelength,
1 2
d d + is the width
of the channel, the phase difference | varies in the range 0 s |s t . 0 | = corresponds to
symmetric channel with waves out of phase and | = t the waves are in phase, and further
1 1 1 2
a , b , d , d and | satisfies the condition
( )
2
2 2
1 1 1 1 1 2
a b 2a b cos d d + + | s +

2.1. Equations of motion
Introducing a wave frame ( ) x, y moving with the velocity away from the fixed frame
( ) X, Y by the transformation.
x X ct; y Y; u U c; v V = = = = and ( ) ( ) p x P X, t = (3)
Where ( ) u, v and ( ) U, V are velocity components, p and P are pressures in wave and
fixed frame of references respectively. The pressure p remains a constant across any axial station of
the channel under the assumption that the wavelength is large and the curvature effects are negligible.
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International Journal of Advances in Science and Technology,
Vol. 4, No.1, 2012

Using the following non-dimensional variables,
2
1 1
1
x y U V d d p ct
x ; y ; u ; v ; ; p ; t
d c c c
= = = = o = = =
o

1 2 2 1 1 1
1 2
2
1 1 1 1 1 1
H H d a b cd k
h ; h ; d ; a ; b ; R ; ; Da
d d d d d d c a

= = = = = = = =
u


Where k is the permeability and Da is the Darcy number in the Navier-Stokes equations and
eliminating pressure by cross differentiation, the equation for the flow in terms of stream function ,
(dropping the bars u , v
y x
c c
= =
c c
) is given by

( ) { }
2
y yyx x yyy y xxx x xxy
Ro +o (4)

2 4
yyyy xxyy xxxx
2 = + o +o
The corresponding boundary conditions are

q
2
= at
1
y h 1 acos2 x = = + t (5)

q
2
= at
( )
2
y h d bcos 2 x = = t +| (6)

2
2
Da
1
y y
c c
=
c o c
at
1
y h = (7)


2
2
Da
1
y y
c c
= +
c o c
at
2
y h = (8)

Where q is the flux in the wave frame and a, b, | and d satisfy the relation

( )
2
2 2
a b 2ab cos 1 d + + | s +

The first two boundary conditions (5) and (6) correspond to the assumptions that the
boundary walls are streamlines and the third and fourth boundary conditions (7) and (8) correspond
to the Saffman slip conditions at the upper and lower permeable walls of the channel.
Under the assumptions of long wavelength 1 o << and low Reynolds number, the equation
(4) becomes
yyyy
0 = (9)
2.2. Solution
The solution of (9) satisfying the corresponding boundary conditions (5) to (8) is
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International Journal of Advances in Science and Technology,
Vol. 4, No.1, 2012

( )
( ) ( )
1 2
3
2 1 2 1
q h h
6 Da
h h h h
2
+
=

o
( )
3 2
1 2
2y 3 h h y

( )
1 2 1 2
6 Da
6h h y h h y
(
+
(
o


( ) ( )
3 2
2 1 2 1
1
6 Da
h h h h
+

o


( ) ( )
3 2 3 2
1 2 1 2 2 1 2 1
q q 6 Da
h h 3h h h h 3h h
2 2

| | | |
+
| |
o
\ . \ .

( )
2
2 1
q
h h
2

( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
2
2
2 1 1 2 1 1 2 1 1 2 1 1 2
2 h h h h h h h h h h h h h
(
+ + +
(

(10)
where
2 1
h y h . s s
The flux at any axial station in the fixed frame is
( ) ( )
1
2
h
1 2
h
Q u 1 dy q h h = + = +
}

The average volume flow rate over one period T
c
| |
=
|
\ .
of the peristaltic wave is
defined as
( ) ( )
T T
1 2
0 0
1 1
Q Q dt q h h dt q 1 d
T T
= = + = + +
} }
(11)
The pressure gradient is obtained from the dimensionless momentum equation for the axial
velocity

yyy
dp
dx
= (12)
and substituting for from (10) we get
( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
3 2 2
1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2
dp q 1
12
dx 6 Da 6 Da
h h h h h h h h
= +
+ +
o o
(
(
(
(
(

(13)
2.3. The pumping characteristics
Integrating the equation (13) with respect to x over one wavelength, we get pressure rise
(drop) over one cycle of the wave as
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International Journal of Advances in Science and Technology,
Vol. 4, No.1, 2012


( )
( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
3 2 2
1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2
1
0
1
6 Da 6 Da
h h h h h h h h
Q 1 d
p 12 dx +
+ +
o o
(
(

A = (
(
(

}
(14)
The pressure rise required to produce zero average flow rate is denoted by
0
p A . Hence
0
p A is given by

( )
( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
3 2 2
1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2
1
0
0
1
6 Da 6 Da
h h h h h h h h
1 d
p 12 dx +
+ +
o o
(
(

A = (
(
(

}
(15)
3. Discussion of the Results
From (14) we have calculated the pressure difference as a function of Q for different
values of Da, for a fixed a 0.7, = b 1.2, = d 2, = 0.5 o = , 0 | = and is shown in
figure (1.2) we observed that the smaller the Darcy number the greater the pressure rise against
which the pump works. We observed that for a given p A , the flux Q depends on Darcy number
Da and it decreases with increasing Da. For free pumping there is a decrease in flux with increasing
Darcy number Da.
The variation of pressure rise with time averaged flow rate is calculated from equation (14)
for different Darcy numbers and phase differences ,
4 2
t t
| = and is shown in figures (1.3) and
(1.4). We observe that the increase in the phase difference decreases both the pressure rise p A and
the flux Q. In the two cases, the flux Q decreases with increasing Darcy number for free pumping
( ) p 0 A = .
The variation of pressure rise with time averaged flow rate is calculated from equation (14)
for equal amplitudes of the waves but for different Darcy numbers and different phase difference and
is shown in figures (1.5), (1.6) and (1.7). We observe that the smaller the Darcy number, the grater the
pressure rise against which the pump works. For a given p A , the flux Q depends on the
permeability of the wall and it increases with decreasing Darcy number. We also observed that the
pressure rise decreases with the increasing phase difference . |
From equation (14), we have calculated the pressure rise as a function of the flux Q for
different slip parameters o, and different amplitude ratios, different phase differences and is
shown in figures (1.8) to (1.10). We observe that the larger the slip parameter, the greater the pressure
rise against which the pump works. For a given p A , the flux Q depends on o and it increases
with increasing o. For a given flux Q, the pressure rise p A increases with increasing . o We
also observed that the increase in the phase difference | decreases the pressure rise and the flux in
the asymmetric channel. The same phenomenon is observed for equal amplitude ratios but the
magnitudes p A and Q are decreasing.
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International Journal of Advances in Science and Technology,
Vol. 4, No.1, 2012

The variation of pressure rise with time average flow rate is calculated from equation (14) for
different amplitude ratios and different phase difference | and is shown in figures (1.11) and
(1.12). We observe that the smaller the phase difference, the greater the pressure rise against which
the pump works. For a given p A the flux Q decreases with phase difference . | For a given
Q the pressure rise decreases with increasing phase difference. The same phenomenon is observed
for equal amplitude ratios but the magnitudes of p A and Q are found to be decreasing.
The variation of pressure rise with time averaged flow rate is calculated from equation (14)
for different amplitude ratios and different d (ratios of the heights of the upper and lower walls of
the channels from the x-axis) and is shown in figures (1.13) and (1.14). We observe that the
smaller the value d the greater the pressures rise against which the pump works. For a given p A ,
the flux Q decreases with increasingd. The same phenomenon is observed for equal amplitude
ratios but the magnitudes of p A and Q are found to be decreasing.









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References
[1] Latham, T.W. M.S. Thesis, MIT, 1966.
[2] Burns, J.C. and Parkes, T., J. Fluid Mech., 29(1967), 731-743.
[3] Barton, C. and Raynor, S., Bull. Math. Biophys., 30(1968), 663-680.
[4] Shapiro, A.H., Jaffrin, M.Y And Weinberg, S.L., J. Fluid Mech. 37(1969), 799-825.
[5] Shapiro, A.H., and Jaffrin M.Y, Trans ASME J. Appl. Mech., 38(1971), 1060-1062.
[6] Rath, H.J., Springer Verlag, 1980.
[7] Srivastava, L.M. and Srivastava, V.P, 17(1984), 821-829.
[8] Takabatake, S. Ayukawa, K. and Mori, A., J.Fluid Mech., 193(1988), 267-283.
[9] De Vries, K., Lyons, E.A., Ballard, J., Levi, C.S. And Lindsay, D.J.,
Ame. J.Obstetrics Gynecol., 162(1990), 679-682.
[10] Unz, G. Beil, D., Deininger, H., Einspanier, L.A., Mall, G., And Leyendecker, G., Adv. Exp Med.
Biol., 424(1997), 267-277.
[11] Fanchin, R., Righini, C., Olivennes, F., Taylor, S., De Ziegler, D. And Frydman, R., Hum.
Reprod., 13(1998), 1968-1974.
[12] Eytan, O. And Elad, D., Bull. Math. Bio., 61(1999),221-238.
[13] Pozrikidis, C., J. Fluid Mech., 180(1987), 515-527.
[14] Mishra, M. And Ramachandra Rao, A., Z. Angew. Math. Phys. (Zamp), 54(2003), 532-550.
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