PERISTALTIC PUMPING IN A CIRCULAR TUBE IN THE PRESENCE OF AN ECCENTRIC CATHETER

The influence of an eccentrically inserted catheter on the peristaltic pumping in a tube is investigated under long wavelength, low Reynolds number assumptions. The radially asymmetric deformation of the wall a rising through an eccentrically inserted catheter is taken into consid eration by choosing an appropriate bipolar coordinate system. The effe ct of the position and size of the catheter on pumping characteristics is studied. The best performance of pumping is noticed at a certain p osition of the catheter. The size of the catheter, when placed eccentr ically, alters the pressure signature significantly inside the bolus, unlike the concentric case discussed by Lykoudis and Roos (1971). Furt her, the maximum pressure rise in one period of the peristaltic wave i s observed to decrease with an increase in the eccentricity.