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9.1.2025
How To - Blood pump development part 6 - Pressure measurement in the blood pump
In blood pumps, the increase in pressure 📈 between the blood inlet and outlet results in different pressure gradients at different points. This pressure gradient causes secondary flowpaths 🔃 to develop within the pump, both above 🔝 and below ⬇️ the rotor. The pressure profiles and secondary flowpaths 🔃 depend on both the current operating point and the design of the pump (e.g. gaps, geometry of rotor and housing).
The pressure profiles 📉 result in hydraulic forces 🌊 acting on the rotor in different directions. If the design is unfavourable, radial forces can also develop that cause the rotor to tilt.
As part of a research project 👩🔬, pressure sensors are being integrated into pump housings in order to gain knowledge about the pressure curves within the housing at different operating points and geometries. This allows the resulting force 💪 to be adjusted in a targeted manner in order to improve and stabilise pump operation. The picture shows the measurement results for 3 different geometries at 2 operating points.
We carry out these measurements not only on representative geometries, but also on pumps in operation!
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