Building a computer model of the Haemobear blood pump

Further development of the Haemobear blood pump requires theoretical predictions of the dynamic behavior of the rotor. These predictions can be used to compare different rotor geometry at desired operating conditions before a prototype is built. The study focuses on a rotor-dynamic model of the rigid rotor with six degrees of freedom (6-DoF), which is implemented using the Matlab-Simulink software package. The forces acting on the rotor are provided to Simulink in terms of constant values (e.g., gravity force), linear coefficients, or nonlinear functions. These coefficients or functions are obtained using numerical simulation results. Fluid forces and magnetic forces can be calculated using commercial software codes. The output of these codes has to be postprocessed to get the desired values for Simulink. This article will give an overview of how to implement arbitrary physical influences on the rotor in a computational model of the complete pump.