Numerical treatment of mass continuity in pressure-correction methods for patient specific flow simulations

Purpose The purpose of this paper is the development of a robust numerical scheme for fluid flow simulations in complex domains with open boundaries. Design/methodology/approach A modified pressure correction algorithm is presented. The proposed modifications are derived through a step-by-step analysis of the importance of mass continuity enforcement in pressure correction methods, the boundary conditions of the pressure correction equation and the special nature of open boundaries. Findings The algorithm is validated by performing steady state laminar flow simulations in two backward facing step geometries with progressively truncated outlet channels. The efficiency of the methodology is demonstrated by simulating the pulsatile flow field in a patient specific iliac bifurcation reconstructed by medical imaging data. Originality/value The proposed numerical scheme provides accurate and mass conserving solutions in complex domains with open boundaries. The proposed methodology may be directly implemented in any computational domain without any prerequisites regarding the location or type of domain boundaries.