A comparative study between flow visualization and computational fluid dynamic analysis for the sun medical...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Fluid Dynamics
• Medical Devices

Background:

• Implantable ventricular assist systems require rigorous fluid dynamic evaluation.
• Hemocompatibility of the Sun Medical centrifugal pump prototype was previously established.
• Understanding fluid dynamics is crucial for artificial heart design.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the fluid dynamic characteristics of a centrifugal pump prototype for implantable ventricular assist systems.
• To validate computational fluid dynamics (CFD) results with experimental flow visualization.
• To assess the impeller design's suitability for artificial heart applications.

Main Methods:

• Flow visualization using particle tracking velocimetry.
• Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis using STAR-CD software.
• Comparative analysis of experimental and CFD velocity distributions.

Main Results:

• No flow separations were observed around the curved open impeller.
• Antithrombogenic design features effectively generated axial velocity and suitable shear rates.
• Unsteady vortex shedding in the outlet was identified, impacting fluid dynamic efficiency.
• Good correlation was found between flow visualization and CFD velocity measurements.

Conclusions:

• The centrifugal pump impeller demonstrates suitability for implantable artificial hearts.
• Flow visualization and CFD are complementary tools for evaluating medical device fluid dynamics.
• The study provides insights into optimizing centrifugal pump design for medical applications.