Flow visualization as a complementary tool to hemolysis testing in the development of centrifugal blood pumps.
With a 250% scaled-up pump model, high speed video camera, and argon ion laser light sheet, flow patterns related to hemolysis were visualized and analyzed with 4 frame particle tracking software. Different flow patterns and shear distributions were clarified by flow visualization for pumps modified to have different hemolysis levels. A combination of in vitro hemolysis tests, flow visualization, and CFD analysis suggested a close relationship between hemolysis and high shear caused by small impeller/casing gaps. Because arbitrary cross sections can be illuminated by laser light sheet, flow visualization is a useful tool in finding locations related to hemolysis in the design process of rotary blood pumps.
Yamane
T
T
Mechanical Engineering Laboratory, Tsukuba, Japan.
Asztalos
B
B
Nishida
M
M
Masuzawa
T
T
Takiura
K
K
Taenaka
Y
Y
Konishi
Y
Y
Miyazoe
Y
Y
Ito
K
K
D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology; D006353:Heart-Assist Devices / Q000639:trends*; D006461:Hemolysis / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D007834:Lasers; D008962:Models, Theoretical