title: A hydrodynamically suspended, magnetically sealed mechanically noncontact axial flow blood pump: design of a hydrodynamic bearing.
abstract: To overcome the drive shaft seal and bearing problem in rotary blood pumps, a hydrodynamic bearing, a magnetic fluid seal, and a brushless direct current (DC) motor were employed in an axial flow pump. This enabled contact-free rotation of the impeller without material wear. The axial flow pump consisted of a brushless DC motor, an impeller, and a guide vane. The motor rotor was directly connected to the impeller by a motor shaft. A hydrodynamic bearing was installed on the motor shaft. The motor and the hydrodynamic bearing were housed in a cylindrical casing and were waterproofed by a magnetic fluid seal, a mechanically noncontact seal. Impeller shaft displacement was measured using a laser sensor. Axial and radial displacements of the shaft were only a few micrometers for motor speed up to 8500 rpm. The shaft did not make contact with the bearing housing. A flow of 5 L/min was obtained at 8000 rpm at a pressure difference of 100 mm Hg. In conclusion, the axial flow blood pump consisting of a hydrodynamic bearing, a magnetic fluid seal, and a brushless DC motor provided contact-free rotation of the impeller without material wear.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Systems Engineering, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, Hokkaido University, Kita 14 Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0814, Japan. mitamura@bme.ist.hokudai.ac.jp
authors.forename: Yoshinori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mitamura
authors.forename: Kazuyuki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kido
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yano
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sakota
authors.forename: Tomoyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yambe
authors.forename: Kazumitsu
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sekine
authors.forename: Eiji
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: OKamoto
mesh_terms: D004867:Equipment Design / Q000295:instrumentation; D006353:Heart-Assist Devices; D006801:Humans; D008280:Magnetics; D012212:Rheology / Q000295:instrumentation