Applicability of an entry flow model of the brachial artery for flow models of the hemodialysis fistula

Author(s):  
Sulav Bastola ◽  
William D Paulson ◽  
Steven A Jones

The native arteriovenous fistula creates a shunt that provides the high blood flow that is needed for dialysis. Lumped parameter hemodynamic models of the arteriovenous fistula can be used to predict shear stresses and pressure losses and can be applied to help understand unsolved problems such as the high rate of arteriovenous fistula maturation failure. These models combine together flow components, such as arteries, stenosis, anastomoses, arterial compliance, and blood inertia, and each component must be modeled with an appropriate pressure–flow relationship. Poiseuille flow is generally assumed for straight vessels, but the unique high flow rates within the brachial artery of an arteriovenous fistula are expected to induce entry flow effects that are neglected in this model. To estimate the importance of these effects, brachial artery flow was modeled in a low-resistance network, such as the one that occurs when an arteriovenous fistula is constructed, through the lumped parameter model, and the predicted flow rates and pressures were compared to those predicted by computational fluid dynamics. When Poiseuille flow was assumed, the flow rate from the lumped parameter model was consistently larger than that from computational fluid dynamics, with a cycle-averaged error of 36.8%. When an entry flow model (Shah) was assumed, the lumped parameter–based flow was 6% lower than the computational fluid dynamics model at the peak of the flow waveform, and the cycle-averaged error was reduced to 7.8%. Thus, in a low-resistance (high flow) arteriovenous fistula circuit, an entry flow model can account for steeper near-wall velocity gradients. This result can provide a useful guide for designing engineering models of the arteriovenous fistula.

Author(s):  
Shahab Taherian ◽  
Hamid Rahai ◽  
Jamie Shin ◽  
Jeremy Feldman ◽  
Thomas Waddington

In silico study of the relationships between flow conditions, arterial surface shear stress, and pressure was investigated in a patient with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), using multi-detector Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA) images and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). The CTA images were converted into 3D models and transferred to CFD software for simulations, allowing for patient-specific comparisons between in silico results with clinical right heart catheterization pressure data. The simulations were performed using two different methods of outlet boundary conditions: zero traction and lumped parameter model (LPM) methods. Outlet pressures were set to a constant value in zero traction method, which can produce flow characteristics solely based on the segmented distal arteries, while the lumped parameter model used a three-element Windkessel lumped model to represent the distal vasculature by accounting for resistance, compliance, and impedance of the vasculature. Considering existing limitations with both approaches, it was found that the lumped parameter Windkessel outlet boundary condition provides a better correlation with the clinical RHC pressure results than the zero traction constant pressure outlet boundary condition.


Author(s):  
Giorgio Altare ◽  
Massimo Rundo

The paper describes a multi-domain simulation of a gerotor oil pump. Three different analysis tools have been used in synergy to predict the pump flow rate, in both conditions of complete and incomplete filling, and the pressure ripple. The computational fluid dynamics software PumpLinx® has been used for the determination of the discharge coefficients, while a finite element model analysis performed with ANSYS® has allowed the evaluation of the deflection of the pump cover under the action of the delivery pressure. The data calculated with the 3D tools have been utilized as input for a lumped parameter model of the pump developed in LMS Amesim® with customized libraries. The aim of the study is to supply the guidelines for tuning the models using a reduced number of computational fluid dynamics simulations. The results collected in the experimental campaign have demonstrated that a lumped parameter approach can be suitable, if properly calibrated, to predict the pressure oscillations in conditions of defective filling. Moreover, it was found that the cover deflection has a significant importance not only on the leakages, but also on the pressure ripple.


Author(s):  
Tiziano Ghisu ◽  
Francesco Cambuli ◽  
Pierpaolo Puddu ◽  
Irene Virdis ◽  
Mario Carta ◽  
...  

Abstract The hysteretic behavior of oscillating water column (OWC)-installed Wells turbines has been known for decades. The common explanation invokes the presence of unsteady aerodynamics due to the continuously varying incidence of the flow on the turbine blades. This phenomenon is neither new nor unique to Wells turbines, as an aerodynamic hysteresis is present in rapidly oscillating airfoils and wings, as well as in different types of turbomachinery, such as wind turbines and helicopter rotors, which share significant similarities with a Wells turbine. An important difference is the non-dimensional frequency: the hysteresis appears in oscillating airfoils only at frequencies orders of magnitude larger than the ones Wells turbines operate at. This work contains a re-examination of the phenomenon, using both computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and a lumped parameter model, and shows how the aerodynamic hysteresis in Wells turbines is negligible and how the often measured differences in performance between acceleration and deceleration are caused by the capacitive behavior of the OWC system. Results have been verified with respect to both spatial and temporal discretization, for unstalled and stalled operating conditions.


Energies ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 2399 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fengbo Yang ◽  
Xinyu Xue ◽  
Chen Cai ◽  
Zhu Sun ◽  
Qingqing Zhou

In recent years, multirotor unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have become more and more important in the field of plant protection in China. Multirotor unmanned plant protection UAVs have been widely used in vast plains, hills, mountains, and other regions, and become an integral part of China’s agricultural mechanization and modernization. The easy takeoff and landing performances of UAVs are urgently required for timely and effective spraying, especially in dispersed plots and hilly mountains. However, the unclearness of wind field distribution leads to more serious droplet drift problems. The drift and distribution of droplets, which depend on airflow distribution characteristics of UAVs and the droplet size of the nozzle, are directly related to the control effect of pesticide and crop growth in different growth periods. This paper proposes an approach to research the influence of the downwash and windward airflow on the motion distribution of droplet group for the SLK-5 six-rotor plant protection UAV. At first, based on the Navier-Stokes (N-S) equation and SST k–ε turbulence model, the three-dimensional wind field numerical model is established for a six-rotor plant protection UAV under 3 kg load condition. Droplet discrete phase is added to N-S equation, the momentum and energy equations are also corrected for continuous phase to establish a two-phase flow model, and a three-dimensional two-phase flow model is finally established for the six-rotor plant protection UAV. By comparing with the experiment, this paper verifies the feasibility and accuracy of a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method in the calculation of wind field and spraying two-phase flow field. Analyses are carried out through the combination of computational fluid dynamics and radial basis neural network, and this paper, finally, discusses the influence of windward airflow and droplet size on the movement of droplet groups.


2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo Sala ◽  
Paola Gallo Stampino ◽  
Giovanni Dotelli

This work is part of a project whose final aim is the realization of an auxiliary power fuel cell generator. It was necessary to design and develop bipolar plates that would be suitable for this application. Bipolar plates have a relevant influence on the final performances of the entire device. A gas leakage or a bad management of the water produced during the reaction could be determinant during operations and would cause the failure of the stack. The development of the bipolar plates was performed in different steps. First, the necessity to make an esteem of the dynamics that happen inside the feeding channels led to perform analytical calculations. The values found were cross-checked performing a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation; finally, it was defined the best pattern for the feeding channels, so that to enhance mass transport and achieve the best velocity profile. The bipolar plates designed were machined and assembled in a laboratory scale two cells prototype stack. Influences of the temperature and of the humidity were evaluated performing experiments at 60 deg and 70 deg and between 60% and 100% of humidity of the reactant gasses. The best operating point achieved in one of these conditions was improved by modifying the flow rates of the reactant, in order to obtain the highest output power, and it evaluated the reliability of the plates in experiments performed for longer times, at fixed voltages.


1996 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 477-484 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riccardo Pietrabissa ◽  
Sara Mantero ◽  
Tiziana Marotta ◽  
Lorenzo Menicanti

Author(s):  
Zilong Zhao ◽  
Zhiwei Guo ◽  
Zhongdong Qian ◽  
Qian Cheng

The axial pump operating in the pump-as-turbine mode is a practical and cost-saving alternative suitable for low-head pico hydropower in rural and remote areas that bypasses the need for expensive turbines. Their pump characteristics, however, indicate that efficiency is low in off-design flow rates. Using the computational fluid dynamics, the adjustable inlet guide vanes with five angles (±20°, 0°, ±10°) in front of the impeller of the axial pump have been redesigned and installed specifically to increase the operating range of high efficiency in the pump-as-turbine mode. To validate the simulation method, a prototype of the axial pump was built to measure in the pump mode the pump characteristics including head and efficiency. The results obtained show that the computational fluid dynamics calculated results are in qualitative agreement with the experimental data. In the pump-as-turbine mode, the adjustable inlet guide vanes were found to affect the performance of the axial pump. The most important aspect is that the adjustable inlet guide vanes widen the efficiency range if the inlet guide vane angle is adjusted for different flow rates. For the same situation with negative angles, the efficiency values at the BEP are higher than those with positive angles, where the efficiency around the angle − 10° is the highest. The main reason is that the direction of flow at the impeller-zone exit is guided by the adjustable inlet guide vanes to reduce the energy loss, which can be supported in the view of vector field and energy losses of different parts of pump.


2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhigang Li ◽  
Zhi Fang ◽  
Jun Li

Abstract Liquid annular seals with parallelly grooved stator or rotor are used as replacements for smooth plain seals in centrifugal pumps to reduce leakage and break up contaminants within the working fluid. Parallelly grooved liquid annular seals have advantages of less leakage and smaller possibility of abrasion when the seal rotor–stator rubs in comparison to smooth plain seals. This paper deals with the static and rotordynamic characteristics of parallelly grooved liquid annular seals, which are limited in the literature. Numerical results of leakage flow rates, drag powers, and rotordynamic force coefficients were presented and compared for a grooved-stator/smooth-rotor (GS-SR) liquid annular seal and a smooth-stator/grooved-rotor (SS-GR) liquid annular seal, utilizing a modified transient computational fluid dynamics-based perturbation approach based on the multiple-frequency elliptical-orbit rotor whirling model. Both liquid annular seals have identical seal axial length, rotor diameter, sealing clearance, groove number, and geometry. The present transient computational fluid dynamics-based perturbation method was adequately validated based on the published experiment data of leakage flow rates and frequency-independent rotordynamic force coefficients for the GS-SR and SS-GR liquid annular seals at various pressure drops with differential inlet preswirl ratios. Simulations were performed at three pressure drops (4.14 bar, 6.21 bar, and 8.27 bar), three rotational speeds (2 krpm, 4 krpm, and 6 krpm) and three inlet preswirl ratios (0, 0.5, and 1.0), applying a wide rotor whirling frequency range up to 200 Hz, to analyze and compare the influences of operation conditions on the static and rotordynamic characteristics for both the GS-SR and SS-GR liquid annular seals. Results show that the present two liquid annular seals possess similar sealing capability, and the SS-GR seal produces a slightly larger (∼2–10%) drag power loss than the GS-SR seal. For small rotor whirling motion around a centered position, both seals have the identical direct force coefficients and the equal-magnitude opposite-sign cross-coupling force coefficients in the orthogonal directions x and y. For all operation conditions, both the GS-SR and SS-GR liquid annular seals possess negative direct stiffness K and positive direct damping C. The GS-SR seal produces purely positive Ceff throughout the whirling frequency range for all operation conditions, while Ceff for the SS-GR seal shows a significant decrease and transitions to negative value at the crossover frequency fco with increasing rotational speed and inlet preswirl. From a rotordynamic viewpoint, the GS-SR liquid annular seal is a better seal concept for pumps.


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