Reynolds number effects on the behavior of lipid vesicles*

For lipid vesicles to be of general use, such as drug delivery systems, the behavior of vesicles in different flow conditions must be understood. Currently most investigations into lipid vesicles are restricted to the creeping regime. Here a new 4-step Navier-Stokes solver coupled to a level set scheme is used to numerically investigate the behavior of lipid vesicles in non-zero Reynolds number flow regimes. Results show that the behavior of lipid vesicles is highly dependent on the Reynolds number. For example, we have observed that a vesicle which tumbles in the Stokes regime will revert back to tank-treading as inertial effects increase. Here the numerical method will be briefly outlined and the influence of the Reynolds number on the behavior of lipid vesicles will be presented.