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Updated: Feb 23, 2026
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In Vitro Model of Physiological and Pathological Blood Flow with Application to Investigations of Vascular Cell Remodeling
Published on: November 3, 2015
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Application of Computational Fluid Dynamics Techniques to Blood Pumps
Ramakrishnan Sukuma1, Mahesh M Athavale1, Vinod B Makhijani1
1CFD Research Corporation, Huntsville, Alabama, U.S.A.
Artificial Organs
|September 5, 2017
Summary
Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analyzes pump fluid flow for virtual prototyping and design improvements. CFD-ACE software successfully studied axial flow blood pump characteristics, aiding in critical performance parameter analysis.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Fluid Dynamics
- Computational Science
Background:
- Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is vital for analyzing fluid flow in various pumps.
- CFD enables virtual prototyping, performance analysis, and design optimization during pump development.
- Understanding flow parameters like stagnation zones and shear rates is crucial for blood pump success, impacting hemolysis and thrombus formation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate the application of CFD techniques for analyzing fluid flow behavior in pumps.
- To highlight the utility of CFD-ACE software in studying rotary machines, specifically axial flow pumps and blood pumps.
- To present the capabilities of CFD-ACE, including its preprocessing, postprocessing, and advanced modeling features.
Main Methods:
- Utilized CFD techniques to analyze fluid flow characteristics in pumps.
- Applied CFD-ACE, a commercial CFD code, to study fluid dynamics in axial flow pumps and inducers.
- Leveraged CFD-ACE's features: structured multiblock grids, non-Newtonian fluid treatment, turbulence models, and particle tracking.
Main Results:
- CFD-ACE was successfully applied to study flow characteristics in an axial flow blood pump.
- The study provided insights into stagnation zones and shear rates, correlating them to hemolysis and thrombus formation.
- Advanced graphical flow visualization and integrated preprocessing/postprocessing tools facilitated efficient analysis.
Conclusions:
- CFD is a powerful tool for analyzing pump fluid dynamics, aiding in design and performance evaluation.
- CFD-ACE effectively analyzes complex flow phenomena in blood pumps, contributing to improved device design.
- Ongoing development of an unstructured flow solver aims to further automate grid generation and accelerate simulations.
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