Design considerations of volute geometry of a centrifugal blood pump

This article compares two different design techniques that are conventionally used in the design of volutes for centrifugal pumps. The imbalanced forces due to the geometry of the volute need to be taken into consideration especially in centrifugal blood pumps with magnetically suspended impeller. A reduction of these forces can reduce the instability of the impeller motion as well as the power needed to counteract its influence. Volutes using the constant angular momentum (CAM) and the constant mean velocity (CMV) methods were developed and modeled numerically. The computational results on the effect of volute geometry on the performance of a centrifugal blood pump impeller for six different volutes are presented here. For volutes designed using the CAM method, model B (volute expansion angle of 3 degrees ) had the lowest radial force of 0.26 N while the pressure head generated was 12,900 Pa. For volutes designed using the CMV method, model F (1.6 m/s) had the lowest imbalanced force of 0.45 N. However, the pressure developed by this pump was also one of the lowest at 10,652 Pa. Furthermore, when the peak scalar stresses and the mean exposure time of particles for all designs were determined using Lagrangian particle tracking method, it was observed that in general, the peak scalar stresses in CAM designed volutes are lower than those designed using CMV method. The mean exposure time of particles in the pump ranged from 400 to 500 ms. The simulation results showed that the volute designed using CAM method was superior to that of a CMV volute in terms of the magnitude of the radial force and the peak scalar stresses for the same pressure head generated. Results show that the design of volutes for blood pumps should go beyond conventional empirical methods to obtain optimal results.     

An ultradurable and compact rotary blood pump with a magnetically suspended impeller in the radial direction

A magnetically suspended centrifugal blood pump has been developed with a self-bearing motor for long-term ventricular assist systems. The rotor of the self-bearing motor is not only actively suspended in the radial direction, but also is rotated by an electromagnetic field. The pump has a long lifetime because there are no mechanical parts such as seals and motor bearings. An outer rotor mechanism was adopted for the self-bearing motor. The stator was constructed in the central space of the motor. The rotor shaped thin ring was set at the circumferential space of the stator. Six vanes were extended from the upper surface of the rotor toward the center of the pump to construct an open-type impeller. The outer diameter and the height of the impeller are 63 mm and 34 mm, respectively. The magnetic bearing method and the servomotor mechanism were adopted to levitate and rotate the rotor. Radial movements of the rotor and rotation are controlled actively by using electromagnets in the stator. Axial movement and tilt of the rotor are restricted by passive stability to simplify the control. The radial gap between the rotor and the stator is 1 mm. A closed-loop circuit filled with water was used to examine basic performance of the pump. Maximum flow rate and pressure head were 8 L/min and 200 mm Hg, respectively. Maximum amplitude of radial displacement of the impeller was 0.15 mm. The impeller could be suspended completely without touching the casing wall during the entire pumping process. Power consumption of the pump was only 9.5 W to produce a flow rate of 5 L/min against a pressure head of 100 mm Hg. We conclude that the pump has sufficient performance for the implantable ventricular assist system.     

Magnetically suspended rotary blood pump with radial type combined motor-bearing

A magnetically suspended centrifugal blood pump is being developed with a combined motor-bearing for long-term ventricular assist systems. The combined motor-bearing actively suspends a rotor in a radial direction to deal with radial force unbalance in the pump and rotates the rotor by using the electric magnetic field. Therefore, the pump has no mechanical parts such as bearings of the motor and has a long lifetime. The developed pump consists of a thin rotor with a semi open-type 6 vane impeller and a stator to suspend and rotate the rotor. The rotor has 4-pole permanent magnets on the circumferential surface. The outer diameter and the thickness of the rotor are 60 mm and 8 mm, respectively. Axial movement and tilt of the rotor are restricted by passive stability based on the thin rotor structure. Radial movements of the rotor, such as levitation in radial direction and rotation, are controlled actively by using electric magnets of the stator. The electric magnet coils to produce levitation and rotation forces are constructed on the periphery stator. The p +/- 2-pole algorithm and the synchronous motor mechanism are adopted to levitate and rotate the rotor. The radial gap between the rotor and the stator is 1 mm. A closed-loop circuit filled with water was connected to the developed pump to examine the basic performance of the pump and the magnetic suspension system. Maximum rotational speed, flow rate, and head were 2,800 rpm, 11 L/min, and 270 mm Hg, respectively. The rotor with the impeller could be suspended completely during the entire pumping process. We conclude the pump with the combined motor-bearing has sufficient performance for the blood pump.     

Effects of tongue position and base circle diameter on the performance of a centrifugal blood pump

This article presents numerical investigations of the effect of radial gap and volute tongue position on the circumferential pressure distribution and the magnitude of resulting imbalanced radial force. A series of volute models was designed using the constant mean velocity method. The results indicate that a radial clearance of 10% is a good practical value that gives a relatively high head across the pump for a small radial force. The results show that the tongue position at 30 degrees gives the lowest radial force and pressure head. The tongue position at 15 degrees appears to give the best compromise results producing a generated head only 5% less than the maximum value while the radial force is about 22% less than the maximum force.     

Dynamic characteristics of a magnetically levitated impeller in a centrifugal blood pump

Centrifugal blood pumps that employ hybrid active/passive magnetic bearings to support noncontact impellers have been developed in order to reduce bearing wear, pump size, the power consumption of the active magnetic bearing, and blood trauma. However, estimates made at the design stage of the vibration of the impeller in the direction of passive suspension during pump operation were inaccurate, because the influence of both the pumping fluid and the rotation of the impeller on the dynamic characteristics was not fully recognized. The purpose of this study is to investigate the dynamic characteristics in a fluid of a magnetically levitated rotating impeller by measuring both the frequency response to sinusoidal excitation of the housing over a wide frequency range and the displacement due to input of a pulsatile flow during left ventricular (LV) assist. The excitation tests were conducted under conditions in which the impeller was levitated in either air or water, and with or without rotation. The experimental and analytical results indicate that vibration of the impeller due to the external force in water was decreased, compared with that in air due to the hydraulic force of water. The axial resonant frequency rose quadratically with rotational speed, and the tilt mode had two resonant frequencies while rotating due to the gyroscopic effect. With the pump inserted into a mock systemic circulatory loop, the dynamic stability of the impeller when pulsatile pressure was applied during LV assist was verified experimentally. The amplitudes of vibration in response to the pulsatile flow in the passively constrained directions were considerably smaller in size than the dimensions of initial gaps between the impeller and the pump housing.     

Magnetic drive system for a new centrifugal rotary blood pump

The purpose of this investigation was to design a novel magnetic drive and bearing system for a new centrifugal rotary blood pump (CRBP). The drive system consists of two components: (i) permanent magnets within the impeller of the CRBP; and (ii) the driving electromagnets. Orientation of the magnets varies from axial through to 60° included out‐lean (conical configuration). Permanent magnets replace the electromagnet drive to allow easier characterization. The performance characteristics tested were the axial force of attraction between the stator and rotor at angles of rotational alignment, ?, and the corresponding torque at those angles. The drive components were tested for various magnetic cone angles, θ. The test was repeated for three backing conditions: (i) non‐backed; (ii) steel‐cupped; and (iii) steel plate back‐iron, performed on an Instron tensile testing machine. Experimental results were expanded upon through finite element and boundary element analysis (BEM). The force/torque characteristics were maximal for a 12‐magnet configuration at 0° cone angle with steel‐back iron (axial force = 60 N, torque = 0.375 Nm). BEM showed how introducing a cone angle increases the radial restoring force threefold while not compromising axial bearing force. Magnets in the drive system may be orientated not only to provide adequate coupling to drive the CRBP, but to provide significant axial and radial bearing forces capable of withstanding over 100 m/s² shock excitation on the impeller. Although the 12 magnet 0° (θ) configuration yielded the greatest force/torque characteristic, this was seen as potentially unattractive as this magnetic cone angle yielded poor radial restoring force characteristics.     

Performance characterization of a rotary centrifugal left ventricular assist device with magnetic suspension

Abstract:  The MiTiHeart (MiTiHeart Corporation, Gaithersburg, MD, USA) left ventricular assist device (LVAD), a third-generation blood pump, is being developed for destination therapy for adult heart failure patients of small to medium frame that are not being served by present pulsatile devices. The pump design is based on a novel, patented, hybrid passive/active magnetic bearing system with backup hydrodynamic thrust bearing and exhibits low power loss, low vibration, and low hemolysis. Performance of the titanium alloy prototype was evaluated in a series of in vitro tests with blood analogue to map out the performance envelop of the pump. The LVAD prototype was implanted in a calf animal model, and the in vivo pump performance was evaluated. The animal's native heart imparted a strong pulsatility to the flow rate. These tests confirmed the efficacy of the MiTiHeart LVAD design and confirmed that the pulsatility does not adversely affect the pump performance.     

A compact highly efficient and low hemolytic centrifugal blood pump with a magnetically levitated impeller

A magnetically levitated (maglev) centrifugal blood pump (CBP), intended for use as a ventricular assist device, needs to be highly durable and reliable for long-term use without any mechanical failure. Furthermore, maglev CBPs should be small enough to be implanted into patients of various size and weight. We have developed a compact maglev CBP employing a two-degree-of-freedom controlled magnetic bearing, with a magnetically suspended impeller directly driven by an internal brushless direct current (DC) motor. The magnetic bearing actively controls the radial motion of the impeller and passively supports axial and angular motions using a permanent magnet embedded in the impeller. The overall dimensions of the maglev CBP are 65 mm in diameter and 40 mm in height. The total power consumption and pump efficiency for pumping 6 L/min against a head pressure of 105 mm Hg were 6.5 W and 21%, respectively. To evaluate the characteristics of the maglev CBP when subjected to a disturbance, excitation of the base, simulating the movement of the patient in various directions, and the sudden interception of the outlet tube connected with the pump in a mock circulatory loop, simulating an unexpected kink and emergent clamp during a heart surgery, were tested by monitoring the five-degree-of-freedom motion of the impeller. Furthermore, the hemolytic characteristics of the maglev CBP were compared with those of the Medtronic Biomedicus BPX-80, which demonstrated the superiority of the maglev CBP.     

Magnetically suspended centrifugal blood pump with an axially levitated motor

The longevity of a rotary blood pump is mainly determined by the durability of its wearing mechanical parts such as bearings and seals. Magnetic suspension techniques can be used to eliminate these mechanical parts altogether. This article describes a magnetically suspended centrifugal blood pump using an axially levitated motor. The motor comprises an upper stator, a bottom stator, and a levitated rotor-impeller between the stators. The upper stator has permanent magnets to generate an attractive axial bias force on the rotor and electric magnets to control the inclination of the rotor. The bottom stator has electric magnets to generate attractive forces and rotating torque to control the axial displacement and rotation of the rotor. The radial displacement of the rotor is restricted by passive stability. A shrouded impeller is integrated within the rotor. The performance of the magnetic suspension and pump were evaluated in a closed mock loop circuit filled with water. The maximum amplitude of the rotor displacement in the axial direction was only 0.06 mm. The maximum possible rotational speed during levitation was 1,600 rpm. The maximum pressure head and flow rate were 120 mm Hg and 7 L/min, respectively. The pump shows promise as a ventricular assist device.     

Design of a centrifugal blood pump: Heart Turcica Centrifugal

A prototype of a new implantable centrifugal blood pump system named Heart Turcica Centrifugal (HTC) was developed as a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) for the treatment of end-stage cardiac failure. In the development of HTC, effects of blade height and volute tongue profiles on the hydraulic and hemolytic performances of the pump were investigated. As a result, the prototype was manufactured using the best blade height and volute tongue profiles. Performance of the prototype model was experimentally evaluated in a closed-loop flow system using water as the medium. The hydraulic performance requirement of an LVAD (5 L/min flow rate against a pressure difference of 100 mm Hg) was attained at 2800 rpm rotational speed.     

A magnetically levitated centrifugal blood pump with a simple-structured disposable pump head

Abstract:  A magnetically levitated centrifugal blood pump (MedTech Dispo) has been developed for use in a disposable extracorporeal system. The design of the pump is intended to eliminate mechanical contact with the impeller, to facilitate a simple disposable mechanism, and to reduce the blood-heating effects that are caused by motors and magnetic bearings. The bearing rotor attached to the impeller is suspended by a two degrees-of-freedom controlled radial magnetic bearing stator, which is situated outside the rotor. In the space inside the ringlike rotor, a magnetic coupling disk is placed to rotate the rotor and to ensure that the pump head is thermally isolated from the motor. In this system, the rotor can exhibit high passive stiffness due to the novel design of the closed magnetic circuits. The disposable pump head, which has a priming volume of 23 mL, consists of top and bottom housings, an impeller, and a rotor with a diameter of 50 mm. The pump can provide a head pressure of more than 300 mm Hg against a flow of 5 L/min. The normalized index of hemolysis of the MedTech Dispo is 0.0025 ± 0.0005 g/100 L at 5 L/min against 250 mm Hg. This is one-seventh of the equivalent figure for a Bio Pump BPX-80 (Medtronic, Inc., Minneapolis, MN, USA), which has a value of 0.0170 ± 0.0096 g/100 L. These results show that the MedTech Dispo offers high pumping performance and low blood trauma.     

Influence of radial clearance and rotor motion to hemolysis in a journal bearing of a centrifugal blood pump

Hemolysis due to narrow clearance of noncontact bearings is a critical problem for rotary blood pumps. We developed a centrifugal blood pump with a magnetic and hydrodynamic hybrid bearing, and found that the hemolysis in the narrow clearance depends not only on the clearance size, but also on the rotor stability. In this study, we quantified the relation between the hemolysis, radial clearance (c), and rotor stability through the measurement of the rotor motion and hemolysis. As a result, it was confirmed that the rotor of the current pump is stabilized within the oscillation of 20 microm in blood, and the hemolysis decreases with increase in the c, which is the opposite in the unstable rotor motion with the previous pump. In order to theoretically discuss this hemolysis tendency, we implemented hemolysis estimation in the c according to hydrodynamics and hemodynamics. This estimation can represent the measured hemolysis tendency, and revealed that the flow rate has large influence on the hemolysis in the c.     

Comparison of hydraulic and hemolytic properties of different impeller designs of an implantable rotary blood pump by computational fluid dynamics

A mixed-flow blood pump for long-term applications has been developed at the Helmholtz-Institute in Aachen, Germany. Central features of this implantable pump are a centrally integrated motor, a blood-immersed mechanical bearing, magnetic coupling of the impeller, and a shrouded impeller, which allows a relatively wide clearance. The aim of the study was a numerical analysis of hydraulic and hemolytic properties of different impeller design configurations. In vitro testing and numerical simulation techniques (computational fluid dynamics [CFD]) were applied to achieve a comprehensive overview. Pressure-flow charts were experimentally measured in a mock loop in order to validate the CFD data. In vitro hemolysis tests were performed at the main operating point of each impeller design. General flow patterns, pressure-flow charts, secondary flow rates, torque, and axial forces on the impeller were calculated by means of CFD. Furthermore, based on streak line techniques, shear stress (stress loading), exposure times, and volume percentage with critical stress loading have been determined. Comparison of CFD data with pressure head measurements showed excel-lent agreement. Also, impressive trend conformity was observed between in-vitro hemolysis results and numerical data. Comparison of design variations yielded clear trends and results. Design C revealed the best hydraulic and hemolytic properties and was chosen as the final design for the mixed-flow rotary blood pump.     

Measurement of the rotor motion and corresponding hemolysis of a centrifugal blood pump with a magnetic and hydrodynamic hybrid bearing

This study proposed a centrifugal blood pump with a novel magnetic and hydrodynamic hybrid passive bearing, which consisted of a plain journal bearing for radial stability and a permanent magnetic bearing for axial and tilting stability. We measured the radial motion of the bearing and performed hemolysis tests for the different radial clearance sizes. In the results, it appeared that the radial motion had two modes: the stable center mode, in which the radius of the radial motion rapidly converged to less than 20 microm; and the unstable circle mode, in which the rotor suspension linearly increased with the rotation speed. It also appeared that the pumps with the radial clearance of 80 microm caused more hemolysis than with the smaller clearance sizes in the circle mode. The circle mode was avoidable by the higher rotation or the asymmetric pump structure, but the mechanism of hemolysis in this mode was still unclear.     

Centrifugal blood pump with a magnetically suspended impeller

A centrifugal blood pump with a magnetically suspended impeller has been developed. It has a single inlet and outlet, and it generates centrifugal forces by the rotating impeller. The fluid-dynamical design for inflow and outflow through the impeller leads to elimination of the axial force and unbalanced radial force acting on the impeller. Consequently, three-component control systems, instead of five-component ones, are enough to position the impeller. The magnetically suspended impeller rotates by the magnetic coupling with the permanent magnets embedded in the outer rotator of the motor. This pump has enough performance to function as a blood pump. Further research on the null-power magnetic suspension and the generation of an efficient rotating magnetic field is in progress.     

Paradoxical effects of viscosity on the VentrAssist rotary blood pump

The ability of the VentrAssist blood pump to perform at its optimum design point is determined by a number of factors such as geometry of the pump, surface roughness, and fluid properties. Once the fluid properties are known, the performance characteristics of the pump can be optimized for that fluid. It is important to understand the effects of dynamic viscosity mu (called simply viscosity hereafter) on the performance characteristics and stability of the pump. The performance envelope of the pump and the needs of the patient must be matched. The VentrAssist pump has no shaft, seals, or fixed bearings and relies on the fluid-dynamic forces to maintain its effective performance. A number of different fluids have been tested to determine the effects of viscosity and density on pump performance. These include aqueous glycerol, red blood cells (RBCs) suspended in phosphate buffered saline solution (PBS), and Haemaccel. The effects of viscosity on the bearing stiffness, stage efficiency, and the pressure-flow rate (HQ) are characterized. The experimental results show a slight increase in the pressure rise across the pump shown as a positive upward shift of the H-Q curves with a decrease in viscosity; however, this is relatively small. A paradox in system efficiency exists: for a given fluid asymptotic viscosity, the system efficiency (product of magnetic and stage efficiency) using Haemaccel or PBS is greater than for the same viscosity of aqueous glycerol.     

Disposable magnetically levitated centrifugal blood pump: design and in vitro performance

A magnetically levitated (MagLev) centrifugal blood pump (CBP) with a disposable pump head has been designed to realize a safe, easy-to-handle, reliable, and low-cost extracorporeal blood pump system. It consisted of a radial magnetic-coupled driver with a magnetic bearing having a two-degree freedom control and a disposable pump head unit with a priming volume of 24 mL. The easy on-off disposable pump head unit was made into a three-piece system consisting of the top and bottom housings, and the impeller-rotor assembly. The size and weight of the disposable pump unit were 75 mm x 45 mm and 100 g, respectively. Because the structure of the pump head unit is easily attachable and removable, the gap between the electromagnets of the stator and the target material in the rotor increased to 1.8 mm in comparison to the original integrated bearing system of 1.0 mm. The pump performance, power requirements, and controllability of the magnetic bearing revealed that from 1400 to 2400 rpm, the pump performance remained fairly unchanged. The amplitudes of the X- and Y-axis rotor oscillation increased to +/- 24 microm. The axial displacement of the rotor, 0.4 mm, toward the top housing was also observed at the pump rpm between 1400 and 2400. The axial and rotational stiffness of the bearing were 15.9 N/mm and 4.4 Nm/rad, respectively. The MagLev power was within 0.7 Watts. This study demonstrated the feasibility of a disposable, magnetically suspended CBP as the safe, reliable, easy-to-handle, low-cost extracorporeal circulation support device.     

Evaluation of left ventricular relaxation in rotary blood pump recipients using the pump flow waveform: a simulation study

In heart failure, diastolic dysfunction is responsible for about 50% of the cases, with higher prevalence in women and elderly persons and contributing similarly to mortality as systolic dysfunction. Whereas the cardiac systolic diagnostics in ventricular assist device patients from pump parameters have been investigated by several groups, the diastolic behavior has been barely discussed. This study focuses on the determination of ventricular relaxation during early diastole in rotary blood pump (RBP) recipients. In conventional cardiology, relaxation is usually evaluated by the minimum rate and the time constant of left ventricular pressure decrease, dP/dt(min) and τ(P) . Two new analogous indices derived from the pump flow waveform were investigated in this study: the minimum rate and the time constant of pump flow decrease, dQ/dt(min) and τ(Q) . The correspondence between the indices was investigated in a numerical simulation of the assisted circulation for different ventricular relaxation states (τ(P) ranging from 24 to 68 ms) and two RBP models characterized by linear and nonlinear pressure-flow characteristics. dQ/dt(min) and τ(Q) always correlated with the dP/dt(min) and τ(P) , respectively (r>0.97). These relationships were influenced by the nonlinear pump characteristics during partial support and by the pump speed during full support. To minimize these influences, simulation results suggest the evaluation of dQ/dt(min) and τ(Q) at a pump speed that corresponds to the borderline between partial and full support. In conclusion, at least in simulation, relaxation can be derived from pump data. This noninvasively accessible information could contribute to a continuous estimation of the remaining cardiac function and its eventual recovery.     

Experimental study on shear stress distributions in a centrifugal blood pump

Wall shear stress on the pump casing cover was measured using a surface-mounted hot-film sensor. In addition, the shear stress distribution in the pump was qualitatively investigated by means of oil-film visualization. The characteristics of shear stress in the pump are discussed, including the results on the oil-film visualization. The centrifugal blood pump used was a Nikkiso HPM-15 (Nikkiso Co., Ltd, Tokyo, Japan). The hot-film measurement indicated that the shear stress was approximately proportional to the rotating speed, and exceeded 300 Pa when r/R > 0.5 at 3000 rpm. The circumferential average shear stress on the casing cover was of the same order as the characteristic stress sigma obtained from the pump axial torque. These results suggest that the shear stress on the casing cover can be used to evaluate the characteristic shear stress in the pump.     

Evaluation of cardiac function during left ventricular assist by a centrifugal blood pump

In this study, the effects on varying cardiac function during a left ventricular (LV) bypass from the apex to the descending aorta using a centrifugal blood pump were evaluated by analyzing the left ventricular pressure and the motor current of the centrifugal pump in a mock circulatory loop. Failing heart models (preload 15 mm Hg, afterload 40 mm Hg) and normal heart models (preload 5 mm Hg, afterload 100 mm Hg) were simulated by adjusting the contractility of the latex rubber left ventricle. In Study 1, the bypass flow rate, left ventricular pressure, aortic pressure, and motor current levels were measured in each model as the centrifugal pump rpm were increased from 1,000 to 1,500 to 2,000. In Study 2, the pump rpm were fixed at 1,300, 1,500, and 1,700, and at each rpm, the left ventricular peak pressure was increased from 40 to 140 mm Hg by steps of 20 mm Hg. The same measurements as in Study 1 were performed. In Study 1, the bypass flow rate and mean aortic pressure both increased with the increase in pump rpm while the mean left ventricular pressure decreased. In Study 2, a fairly good correlation between the left ventricular pressure and the motor current of the centrifugal pump was obtained. These results suggest that cardiac function as indicated by left ventricular pressure may be estimated from a motor current analysis of the centrifugal blood pump during left heart bypass.