Improving oxygenator performance using computational simulation and flow field-based parameters.

Current goals in the development of oxygenators are to reduce extrinsic surface contact area, thrombus formation, hemolysis, and priming volume. To achieve these goals and provide a favorable concentration gradient for the gas exchange throughout the fiber bundle, this study attempts to find an optimized inlet and outlet port geometry to guide the flow of a hexagonal-shaped oxygenator currently under development. Parameters derived from numerical flow simulations allowed an automated quantitative evaluation of geometry changes of flow distribution plates. This led to a practical assessment of the quality of the flow. The results were validated qualitatively by comparison to flow visualization results. Two parameters were investigated, the first based on the velocity distribution and the second calculated from the residence time of massless particles representing erythrocytes. Both approaches showed significant potential to improve the flow pattern in the fiber bundle, based on one of the parameters of up to 66%. Computational fluid dynamics combined with a parameterization proved to be a powerful tool to quickly improve oxygenator designs.

[1]  Barbara M. Johnston,et al.  Non-Newtonian blood flow in human right coronary arteries: steady state simulations. , 2004, Journal of biomechanics.

[2]  William R Wagner,et al.  Predicting membrane oxygenator pressure drop using computational fluid dynamics. , 2002, Artificial organs.

[3]  Goodarz Ahmadi,et al.  Uniformity of the fluid flow velocities within hollow fiber membranes of blood oxygenation devices. , 2006, Artificial organs.

[4]  Helmut Reul,et al.  Compact intra-and extracorporeal oxygenator developments , 2004, Perfusion.

[5]  Akio Funakubo,et al.  Development of an Implantable Oxygenator with Cross-Flow Pump , 2006, ASAIO journal.

[6]  Kiyotaka Sakai,et al.  Flow Uniformity in Oxygenators with Different Outlet Port Design , 2009, ASAIO journal.

[7]  Ulrich Steinseifer,et al.  Description of a flow optimized oxygenator with integrated pulsatile pump. , 2010, Artificial organs.

[8]  Marcus Hormes,et al.  A validated computational fluid dynamics model to estimate hemolysis in a rotary blood pump. , 2005, Artificial organs.

[9]  Kenneth Leslie Gage,et al.  Development of computational mass and momentum transfer models for extracorporeal hollow fiber membrane oxygenators , 2007 .

[10]  Robert H. Bartlett,et al.  Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in adults with severe respiratory failure: a multi-center database , 2009, Intensive Care Medicine.

[11]  J F Antaki,et al.  Computational fluid dynamics as a development tool for rotary blood pumps. , 2001, Artificial organs.