Numerical investigation of temperature-dependent viscosity effects on magnetized pulsatile penta-hybrid nanofluid blood flow through stenotic arteries

Purpose This study aims to investigate the pulsatile magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) flow of penta-hybrid nanofluid blood through a bell-shaped stenotic artery, considering the combined effects of Joule heating, viscous dissipation, and a porous medium. Particular emphasis is placed on comparing the Reynolds and Vogel temperature-dependent viscosity models to evaluate their influence on flow and heat transfer characteristics. Design/Methodology/Approach Two mathematical models are formulated based on the Reynolds and Vogel viscosity relations. Under the mild stenosis assumption, the naturally bidirectional blood flow is simplified to a unidirectional flow. The resulting governing partial differential equations are solved numerically using an explicit finite difference scheme. The effects of relevant physiological and flow parameters on velocity and temperature distributions are analyzed under the application of a transverse magnetic field. Findings The numerical simulations indicate that increasing the magnetic parameter reduces the centerline velocity under both temperature-dependent viscosity formulations. When the magnetic parameter increases from 1 to 3, the centerline velocity decreases by approximately 25.33% for the Reynolds model and 23.76% for the Vogel model. At the selected radial position, the Vogel model predicts a dimensionless temperature approximately 0.33% lower than that predicted by the Reynolds model. These findings demonstrate the sensitivity of the predicted flow and thermal behavior to the selected viscosity formulation. Originality/Value The originality of this work lies in its comparative assessment of Reynolds and Vogel temperature-dependent viscosity models for pulsatile penta-hybrid nanofluid blood flow in a bell-shaped stenotic artery under MHD conditions. By incorporating Joule heating, viscous dissipation, and porous medium effects simultaneously, this study provides new insights into the thermal and flow characteristics of nanofluid-based blood transport systems, with potential applications in biomedical engineering and targeted therapeutic technologies.