Thesis Defence: An Innovative Approach to Cardiovascular Flow Simulators: Validation of an Air-based Study

Ravinder Dhaliwal, supervised by Dr. Hadi Mohammadi, will defend their thesis titled “An Innovative Approach to Cardiovascular Flow Simulators: Validation of an Air-based Study” in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering.

An abstract for Ravinder’s thesis is included below.

Examinations are open to all members of the campus community as well as the general public.

Please email hadi.mohammadi@ubc.ca to receive the zoom link for this defence.

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ABSTRACT

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 which has resulted in a relatively standardized design for cardiovascular simulators. However, several aspects still require optimization to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of these systems. The goal of this thesis is to demonstrate the feasibility and potential of the proposed air-based cardiovascular flow simulator design and to explore its applications for the study of physiological processes and for the testing of 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 unique 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 demonstrate 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.