Dynamic Simulation and Hemolysis Evaluation of the Regurgitant Flow over a Tilting-Disc Mechanical Heart Valve in Pulsatile Flow

Regurgitation in the heart diastolic phase represents a critical flow condition associated with many heart valve design considerations. The finite volume method, the Low-Reynolds-Number k-ω turbulent model and sliding mesh model are employed to solve and compare the complex flow field and the torque in each case. The end results expected from a cardiovascular CFD analysis are not limited only to the flowfield investigations. More importantly, it needs an evaluation criterion to judge if the design is acceptable as considered from a broader blood cell damage or activation perspective. In this study, blood cell damage index developed based on stress-time empirical rule and Lagrangian particle tracking is introduced to assess the viscous and turbulence-induced stresses effect to the blood cells.