An efficient and robust method for Lagrangian magnetic particle tracking in fluid flow simulations on unstructured grids

In this paper we report on a newly developed particle tracking scheme for fluid flow simulations on 3D unstructured grids, aiming to provide detailed insights in the particle behaviour in complex geometries. A possible field of applications is the magnetic drug targeting (MDT) technique, on which this paper will be focused. MDT is a promising medical technique that uses locally applied magnetic fields to capture magnetic drug carriers at the desired locations in the human body, strongly increasing the efficiency of medical drugs. The new particle tracking scheme combines the advantages of existing methods and is easy for implementation in a generic numerical code. The scheme is tested and validated for simple MDT cases that include effects of a non-homogeneous magnetic field on deposition of magnetic particles in laminar flow. The first test case is a validation study of the magnetic particle trajectories released in a horizontal circular pipe flow with a current-carrying wire parallel to the flow, for which analytical solutions are reported in literature. The second test case involves particle capture efficiencies in a 900 degrees bent tube for different configurations of the imposed magnetic field. This configuration corresponds more closely to the conditions inside blood vessels, because of the presence of secondary motions. These results are compared with numerical studies from literature too. The obtained results demonstrate that the developed particle tracking scheme is a very robust, efficient and accurate method, which can give detailed insights in particle behaviour in complex geometries. As such it is a good candidate for future applications and optimisations of MDT technique for loco-regional cancer treatment or treatment of cardiovascular diseases. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.