Experiment and design improvement of an axial flow blood pump

The numerical investigation and experimental results of the proto-pump LAP-00 show that at design rotational speed of 9000 r/min, the flow rate corresponding to the highest efficiency point is 11 L/min, which is much higher than clinical use (3-8 L/min), causing the pump to work at off design point in clinic use with a low efficiency. Besides, in the diffuser region, flow separation and recirculation may cause blood stagnation and thrombosis. The improved design for pump LAP-23 decreases the design rotational speed from 9000 r/min to 8000 r/min, thus reduces the high shear stress on blood cells at impeller tip; meanwhile, it decreases the design flow rate to 6 L/min and eliminates flow separation and recirculation in the diffuser region.