Novel bearingless centrifugal blood pump

A new directly-driven centrifugal blood pump has been designed and constructed. It is based on a special form of permanent magnet brushless DC motor whose rotor is combined with an impeller and encased in a sealed pump housing. To prevent potential thromboembolism and clotting, the rotor does not have any mechanical bearing. Instead, it is magnetically suspended in the pump housing. The multi-winding stator is located outside the pump housing and provides the rotor with rotation motion and also the magnetic suspension force. With the aid of three-dimensional finite element simulator, the motor has been simulated and analysed. This device may find application as a temporary blood pump or even as an implantable artificial heart.