An experimental study of Newtonian and non-Newtonian flow dynamics in an axial blood pump model

The head curves of a 1.5:1 new axial blood pump model were measured using five working fluids at five rotational speeds. The working fluids were water, a 39wt% aqueous glycerin solution (GS), and three aqueous xanthan gum solutions (XGSs) with different concentrations. The flow velocities and shear stresses in the mechanical clearance between the casing and rotor were investigated using a laser Doppler velocimeter and hot-film sensor. At every rotational speed, the experiment in which viscous GS was used in the pump model showed a head curve lower than that obtained using water, whereas the head obtained using viscoelastic XGS was higher than that generated using water. A maximum difference of 65.8% between the heads measured in the 0.06% XGS and GS experiments was detected. The higher head produced by the XGS may have originated from the drag-reduction effect of XGS viscoelasticity. The measurements showed that a reverse washout flow at a velocity of 0.05-0.11m/s occurs in the clearance. This reverse washout flow is crucial to preventing flow stagnation and accompanying thrombus formation. The wall shear stress and the Taylor number of the rotating Couette-like flow in the clearance both indicated that it is a turbulent flow.