Arduino control of a pulsatile flow rig

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Fluid Dynamics
• Control Systems

Background:

• Vascular access hemodynamics research requires precise control over fluid flow.
• Existing systems for generating physiological waveforms can be complex and expensive.
• A need exists for an accessible, programmable pulsatile flow pump.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and test a compact, affordable, and programmable pulsatile flow pump.
• To generate physiological waveforms for in-vitro vascular access hemodynamics research.
• To implement a control routine for accurate waveform generation.

Main Methods:

• Utilized an Arduino micro-controller for system programming.
• Incorporated a gear pump for a mean flow of 900 ml/min and peak flow of 1106 ml/min.
• Conducted identification experiments to assess dynamic behavior.
• Implemented a feed-forward control routine.

Main Results:

• The system successfully generated targeted representative waveforms.
• Achieved an error rate of less than 3.6% in waveform reproduction.
• Demonstrated the system's capability for in-vitro hemodynamics research.

Conclusions:

• The designed programmable pulsatile flow pump is effective for vascular access hemodynamics research.
• The system offers an accurate and adaptable solution for generating physiological waveforms.
• Further improvements in accuracy and user-specific adaptations are feasible.