Numerical study on the performance of mixed flow blood pump with superhydrophobic surface

Med Biol Eng Comput. 2023 Nov;61(11):3103-3121. doi: 10.1007/s11517-023-02880-5. Epub 2023 Sep 1.

Abstract

To meet the clinical status of the wide application of percutaneous mechanical circulatory support, this paper selects the mixed flow blood pump applied with superhydrophobic surface as the research object. The Navier slip model was used to simulate the slip characteristics of superhydrophobic surface, and the effects of the blade wrap angle and the superhydrophobic surface on the performance of the mixed flow blood pump are studied by numerical simulation. The results show that (1) considering the head, hydraulic efficiency, and hemolysis index of the blood pump, the optimal value of the blade wrap angle of the mixed flow blood pump in this paper is 60°. (2) The hydraulic efficiency of the blood pump with superhydrophobic surface is improved, and the maximum growth rate is about 13.9%; superhydrophobic surface can reduce the hemolysis index of blood pump under various working conditions, and the maximum reduction rate of hemolysis index of blood pump is 22.9%. (3) The variation trends of blood pump head, hydraulic efficiency, and hemolysis index with the increased rotating speed before and after setting superhydrophobic slip boundary conditions are the same as their original variation trends.

Keywords: Blade wrap angles; Hemolysis index; Mixed flow blood pump; Numerical simulation; Superhydrophobic surface.

MeSH terms

  • Computer Simulation
  • Equipment Design
  • Heart-Assist Devices*
  • Hemolysis
  • Humans
  • Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions