Design and Characterization of a Magnetic Silicone Peristaltic Pump With Multiphysics Modeling

Peristaltic pumps are uniquely suited for transporting sensitive and critical fluids, but conventional designs using rollers have limitations, including mechanical abrasion of components and high wall shear stress, which can damage cell-loaded fluids such as blood. With the growing need for alternatives in fields like microfluidics, bioengineering, and medicine, we propose a magnetic peristaltic pump that eliminates rollers, reducing abrasions, and mechanical stress. This pump is maintenance-free, operates silently due to magnetic actuation, and achieves a maximum flow rate of 130 mL/min, approximately 25% to 66% of that of commercial roller pumps with similar dimensions. To evaluate the pump's performance, we conducted both simulations and experimental measurements, achieving good agreement. A multiphysics model was developed and validated to simulate the system's dynamic behavior, including transient flow rate, pressure, wall shear stress, and Reynolds number. The simulation results show evenly distributed shear stress with peak values below 25 Pa during blood transport, representing an approximately 50% reduction in peak and time-integrated shear stress compared to roller pumps. In the pump experiments, a maximum flow rate of 130 mL/min, a peak back pressure of 4 kPa, and a maximum suction height of 35 cm were achieved.