Measurements of enlarged blood pump models using laser Doppler anemometer

In an earlier study (Chua et al., 1998, 1999a), a 5:1 enlarged model of the Kyoto-NTN Magnetically Suspended Centrifugal Blood Pump (Akamatsu et al., 1995) with five different impeller blade profiles was designed and constructed. Their respective flow characteristics with respect to (1) the three different blade profile designs: forward, radial, and backward, (2) the number of blades used, and (3) the rotating speed were investigated. Among the five impeller designs, the results obtained suggested that impellers A and C designs should be adopted if higher head is required. Impellers A and C therefore were selected for the flow in between their blades to be measured using Laser Doppler Anemometer (LDA), so as to have a better understanding of the flow physics with respect to the design parameters.