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Dhaliwal, Ruby

University of British Columbia

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of illness worldwide, yet a comprehensive understanding of the underlying physiological processes remains elusive. Despite rapid advancements in technology, methods for studying and testing devices and therapies still have significant room for improvement. For this reason, cardiovascular flow simulators play a crucial role in advancing our understanding of CVD and developing treatments and therapies. At present, cardiovascular flow simulators include (1) a representation of the heart and blood vessels shown in either an anatomically correct model or a simplified model that accurately depicts the hemodynamics of the beating heart and (2) a fluid medium that precisely mimics the hemodynamic flow behaviour in vitro. Currently, all cardiovascular flow simulators use a liquid-based medium, resulting in a relatively standardized design for cardiovascular simulators. However, several aspects still require optimization to enhance the accuracy and effectiveness of these systems. This thesis aims to demonstrate the feasibility and potential of the proposed air-based cardiovascular flow simulator design and explore its applications for studying physiological processes and testing cardiovascular devices. Validation of this study was done by conducting experiments with various stenosis models for steady flow over a range of Reynolds numbers (Re). Flow velocity analysis revealed that the air-based system matched the conditions from a previous study and that there was no substantial difference between the results of the liquid-based and air-based systems. This was further reinforced by a visual analysis of smoke flow behaviour which helped to identify flow behaviours as a result of turbulent flow and demonstrate the feasibility of an air-based system. The results from the experiments and visual analysis illustrate the ability of the air-based system to provide similar, if not better, results compared to a liquid-based system. This research opens up new opportunities for further exploration and refinement of air-based cardiovascular flow simulators.

Text

2023-04-12

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/84178

Mechanical Engineering

University of British Columbia

UBCO

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/