Effect of rotor blade angle and clearance on blood flow through a non-pulsatile, axial, heart pump (Q614230)

Summary: This study involves simulation of blood flow through a non-pulsatile, axial pump consisting of a complex multi-sectioned impeller with rotating and stationary components, and a stationary housing. We use a particle-based method, Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH), to investigate the effects of varying the impeller blade pitch angle and the gap size between the rotor and housing. We show that the impeller blade inclination affects pump performance and the level of shear-related blood damage. The inclusion of a rotor-housing clearance results in flow losses that reduce the efficiency of the pump but also reduce the viscous energy losses in the pump.