Abstract
An outside blood flow membrane oxygenator (OFMO) currently available in clinical treatments was developed by the try-and-error method where much time and cost were spent. The objective of the present study is to simulate the blood flow and oxygen transfer rate of the OFMO. The Darcy's law for fluid flow through porous media and the enhancement factor for the mass transfer with chemical reaction were used for evaluation of the blood flow and oxygen transfer rate of the OFMO, respectively. The governing differential equations were numerically solved by the finite element method. Simulation analysis of the blood flow found that channeling occurred depending on fiber arrangement. These results agree well with visual observations previously obtained in our laboratory by X-ray computed tomography. Simulation analysis of the oxygen transfer rate of the OFMO, where the liquid side mass transfer coefficient for blood kLB, estimated using the dimensionless equations of mass transfer coefficient in fluid flow outside a tube, was used, is capable of theoretically predicting the oxygen transfer performance of the OFMO. We conclude that the simulation analysis using both Darcy's law and enhancement factor is useful for evaluation of the blood flow and oxygen transfer rate of the OFMO.
