Flow investigation of a miniature pulsatile pump

Abstract

Pumps have been in existence for a very long time, and there are currently many applications that use them, the size of the pumps also varies for different applications. For example, irrigation usually calls for large pumps while for pharmaceutical applications, the size of the pumps are small. As pumps get miniaturized, its performance will change. In this project, the aim is to analyze the flow pattern of the miniature pulsatile pump, which was also known as Reciprocating Ball Pump (RBP) by conducting flow visualization experiment. It was design in house at Nanyang Technological University for the purpose of researching for a miniature and portable pump. The pump was designed such that during the forward stroke, pumping takes place, while in the backwards stroke, fluid is able to pass through the pump.