Project 9: Numerical simulations and reduced models of the fluid-structure interaction arising in blood pumps based on wave membranes.

 

Project Partners:
MOX-Politecnico di Milano, Italy
CorWave, France

 

Project Scientists:

Marco Martinolli
Early Stage Researcher (ESR09)

 

Christian Vergara (MOX-PoliMi)

 

 

 

Industrial Supervisors:

Pier Paolo Monticone (CoreWave)

 

 

Luc Polverelli (CoreWave)

 

 

 

Project Description:

Blood pumps assist the ventricles when end-stage heart failure occurs. Pulsatile pumps are rarely used due to the inertia of their rotors and low frequency pulsation, not like the native heart. This motivates the development of new pulsatile pumps that are able to replace the high speed and shear impeller of current continuous flow rotary pumps. The result is much less trauma to the blood, reducing clotting and bleeding complications.

Aim of this ESR is to implement a computational methodology to solve the fluid-structure interaction arising between the pulsatile membrane and the blood. The optimization of the pump with respect to many possible scenarios and to better design the pump in view of some clinical objective will be addressed. A challenging issue will be the modeling and simulation of the contact occurring between the membrane and the external support of the pump. Finally, the implementation of reduced models based on simplified fluid and/or structure models leading to efficient numerical schemes will be studied.

The PhD degree will be awarded by Dipartimento di Matematica, Politecnico di Milano (Polimi).