J Biomech Eng. 2026 Sep 17:1-38. doi: 10.1115/1.4072711. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Taking the centrifugal blood pump as the research object, this study investigates the effects of blade type and blade wrap angle on pump performance, aiming to determine the optimal blade configuration and the appropriate range of the correlation coefficient φ = zψ/360° for low-specific-speed centrifugal blood pumps.
METHODS: The impeller of the centrifugal blood pump was designed using the velocity coefficient method. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were performed to evaluate pump performance. The Eulerian hemolysis estimation model was employed to compare the effects of cylindrical blades with different wrap angles and twisted blades on key performance indicators, including the hemolysis index.
RESULTS: The designed centrifugal blood pump meets the normal physiological requirements of adults and exhibits good blood compatibility. At the design flow rate, twisted blades provide higher pressure head and hydraulic efficiency than cylindrical blades, but at the cost of increased blood damage. For a six-blade centrifugal blood pump with a specific speed of 70, the optimal wrap angle range that balances hydraulic performance and hemolysis is 90°-110°, corresponding to a correlation coefficient f ranging from 1.5 to 1.8.
CONCLUSION: The cylindrical blade impeller demonstrates better hemolysis performance at the design flow rate. The identified optimal range of the correlation coefficient f extends an established industrial pump correlation to the field of centrifugal blood pumps, providing a valuable design reference for future blood pump development.
PMID:42751941 | DOI:10.1115/1.4072711