Simulation of an Inlet Structure of an Implantable Axial Blood Pump

The article presents a mathematical model of blood flow in the inlet apparatus of an axial pump to support the ventricle. The inlet apparatus includes a curved cannula and a fixed flow straightener with three or four blades. The main control parameters are the length of the inlet portion of the cannula, the length of the outlet portion of the cannula, the inner diameter, the bending angle of the cannula, and the radius of the knee. Flow velocity at the wall is considered to be zero. The flow of blood is considered to be stationary; transient processes are not considered. Blood is considered to be a single-phase incompressible viscous Newtonian fluid. The study aims at identifying the unevenness of the flow incident on the rotor blades and at identifying stagnation zones. According to the results of calculations with various geometrical parameters, a divider is installed in the inlet apparatus model to address identified effects. Variable parameters of the divider are the radius of curvature and the length of the straight section.