Characterizing Flow and Transport in Biological Vascular Systems: A Review from Physiological and Chemical Engineering Perspectives

Abstract

The investigation of biological fluidic mechanisms is a persistent topic of interest and offers valuable inspiration to address the challenges confronting chemical engineering, particularly with respect to the obligations of sustainability. Accordingly, given the advancements of multidisciplinary integration and digital transformation, the methodologies in chemical engineering represent potent instruments for characterizing the flow and transport features of biological vascular systems. In this Review, a qualitative explication of common tubular structures and their corresponding biofluid patterns in both vascular plants and humans is provided, grounded in a physiological perspective. Theoretical and numerical models, such as computational fluid dynamics (CFD), in engineering are introduced as effective and efficient prediction and analysis tools for quantitatively characterizing biofluid transport mechanisms, including fluid−structure interactions. Furthermore, typical pathologies resulting from multiphase biofluid dysfunction in vascular organisms are analyzed with physiological and chemical engineering methodologies. The integrated perspective provides an opportunity to extend the fundamental understanding of biological processes and in turn promotes the nature-inspired transformative advancements in the field of chemical engineering.