The numerical simulation of the axial flow impeller blood pump NIVADIII is carried out by using a CFD multiphase flow model. The hydrodynamic performance of the pump and the flow field in the pump are analyzed, and the shear stress distribution is obtained. A hemolytic prediction model based on the shear stress is built based on the calculation results, and it can be used for qua- ntitative predictions of the hemolytic behavior of a blood pump. Hemolysis tests in vitro were performed 6 times with fresh bovine blood. At each time, the flow of the pump NIVADIII is 5 L/min and the outflow tract pressure is 100 mmHg. According to the tests, the plasma free hemoglobin （FHB） content and the hematocrit （HCT） are measured after 0 s, 0.5 s, 1 s, 1.5 s 4 s. At the end of each experiment Normal Index of Hemolysis （NIH） of NIVADIII is calculated. The average of NIH is 0.0055 g/100L, almost identi- cal with that obtained from the hemolytic prediction model. This method can be applied in the selection stage of a blood pump.
This article presents the design of a new implantable axial-flow blood pump. The special feature of the flow channel inside the blood pump is that the blood is driven by a big-small tandem impeller installed in the inner hole of the cylinder magnet of a brushless direct current motor. The inner hole makes the main flow channel possible, while the gap between the inner end of the stator and the outer end of the cylinder magnet gives the shape of the tributary flow channel. There is no motor magnet inside the main flow channel, therefore, more blood can pass through it. The gap of the tributary flow channel is very small, but the blood flow in it is not blocked. Thus, the efficiency is increased and the volume and weight of blood pump can be reduced greatly. The outer diameter, length and weight of the manufactured implantable axial-flow blood pump are 29.6 mm, 76 mm and 158 g, respectively. The impeller spins at the speed of 9000 rpm and can generate a pressure head of 100 mmHg and a flow rate of 8 L/rain. In an animal experiment, the blood pump has been successfully applied as a Ventricular Assist Device （VAD） in the chest of a small cow. Besides a mathematical model is established to simulate the flow inside an axial-flow blood pump of implantable VAD. The numerical studies on the performance of the implantable axial-flow blood pump are carried out by combining this mathematical model and the Fluent software. The numerical results agree well with those of experiments, with the maximum error less than 10%.
FAN Hui-minHONG Fang-wenZHOU Lian-diCHEN Yin-shengYE LiangLIU Zhong-min
