Layered Annular Flow and Explicit Relation for Plasma Layer Thickness during Flow of Blood in Capillaries

The blood flow in capillaries is in the form of two layers, a core layer and a plasma layer. Current methods to solve for the plasma layer thickness usinig the marginal zone theory require a numerical solution. Here the temperature variation of the hematocrit is linearized and the equations reduced to a quadratic and a analytical solution is obtained. An explicit relation is provided for the plasma layer thickness. The linearity assumption is reasonable for a wide range of conditions as shown in Figure 1.0.