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Implementing ANSYS FSI Solution for Advanced Cardiology Research at Colorado Health Science Center
Technology Category
- Analytics & Modeling - Digital Twin / Simulation
- Sensors - Level Sensors
Applicable Industries
- Healthcare & Hospitals
- Life Sciences
Applicable Functions
- Product Research & Development
Use Cases
- Digital Twin
- Virtual Reality
The Challenge
The University of Colorado Health Science Center's cardiology research engineers were seeking to gain a deeper understanding of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a condition characterized by persistently high pressure in the vessels that transport oxygen-poor blood from the heart's right ventricle to the small arteries in the lungs. Over time, the increased load due to PAH can lead to premature heart failure and death. The current clinical methods for diagnosing and evaluating PAH are invasive and only consider the mean flow rate and pressure drop across the vasculature. The challenge was to simulate transient hemodynamics and arterial motion, which required a solution for the coupled solid and fluid domains. The geometry definition was derived from medical imaging, and the constitutive modeling of the vasculature was complex due to hyperelastic materials and complex constraint relationships. Additionally, the fluid boundary conditions could not be simply characterized.
About The Customer
The University of Colorado Health Science Center is a leading institution in the field of biomedical research in the United States. The center's cardiology research engineers are dedicated to advancing the basic knowledge of diseases and developing new disease diagnostics. They use mechanics-based models of varying complexity to gain insights into various diseases, including pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Their work is critical in understanding the progression of PAH and improving predictions of potential treatment outcomes.
The Solution
The ANSYS FSI Solution was implemented to provide a complete solution for the coupled simulation of fluid structure interaction. ANSYS® ICEM CFD™ Hexa was used to provide high-quality quad and hex element shell and volume meshes for geometries determined from imaging data. The ANSYS FEA solid modeling capabilities allowed for the definition of hyperelastic material models and complex constraint equations. ANSYS CFX provided a robust CFD solver coupled with FEA and key features such as an expression language that allowed for the definition of various physiological boundary conditions. This comprehensive solution enabled the researchers to gain a better understanding of the transient physics involved in PAH and insight into the effects of vascular stiffness.
Operational Impact
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