Title
Development, Optimization, and Twisted Adjustment of an Axial Flow Blood Pump for Fontan Patients
Defense Date
2012
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science
Department
Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering
First Advisor
Amy Throckmorton
Abstract
Mechanical circulatory support options for patients with a failing Fontan physiology are significantly limited. This research advances the design of a cavopulmonary assist device as a bridge-to-transplant or bridge-to-recovery for Fontans. A fixed-bladed impeller and diffuser for this pump was designed and optimized using ANSYS CFX™ 12.1 software. Building upon the fixed bladed geometry, a novel flexible impeller prototype was created and evaluated by hydraulic testing. In contrast to the fixed design, the flexible impeller enabled a range of blade angles from 60°-150°. Improvement in pump performance was achieved. Pressure generation was found to decrease as a function of higher flow rates and increase as a function of faster rotational speeds and larger blade angles. The designs were able to produce 1-25 mmHg for 0.5-4 L/min at 5000-8000 RPM, which is sufficient to assist Fontan patients. The findings support the continued development of this blood pump with pitch-adjusting characteristics.
Rights
© The Author
Is Part Of
VCU University Archives
Is Part Of
VCU Theses and Dissertations
Date of Submission
December 2012