The application of the elastic tube with the specific cross section form in the linear peristaltic pump

Abstract

The article presents a study of the tube form influence on performance of the peristaltic pump with the linearly placed tube and several pushers squeezing it in the transverse direction. The coupled numerical simulation of fluid flow and solid domain deformation was carried out using the software, based on the finite volume method. The cross sections with surface protrusions of two different types are considered for numerical simulation. The simulation results have shown that protrusions without a smooth transition at the tube walls reduce the compression ratio of the tube and therefore yield the flow rate reduce. Protrusions with s smooth transition at the tube walls on the contrary increase the flow rate in a high pressure range. Higher flow rate and pressure values achieved in the case of surface protrusions placed in the first compression region of the tube only. Comparison of pump characteristic curves shows that the use of tube surface protrusions can significantly increase the energy efficiency of the pump.