Experimental Validation of a Numerical Model of an Axial Circulatory Assist Blood Pump

Abstract

This study continues our systematic exploration of the design of an axial circulatory assist blood pump with a rotor on magnetic bearings. The work reported here addresses experimental validation of a numerical model of flow in the flow part of the axial blood pump. The study focuses on design of the test rig, design of experiments, and modeling of blood flow in the flow part of the pump using computational fluid dynamics. The working fluid was distilled water. The flow-pressure characteristics obtained experimentally were compared with those from mathematical modeling. A satisfactory agreement between the results was obtained, such that the mathematical model can be used for future simulation of the operation of the pump and further optimization of the main components.