Our technology
FOR OVER 40 YEAR THE WHEELER FAMILY HAVE INVENTED AND DEVELOPED A ENTIRELY NEW CLASS OF POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT PUMP, WITH HIGH FLOW AT LOW RPM AND EXTREMELY HIGH EFFICIENCIES.
Our Mission
Through the application of Astronova’s unique positive displacement pump technology we are creating novel solutions for cardiovascular circulatory support and other blood or bio fluid applications.
The Astronova blood/bio-fluid pump is a high flow, low speed (RPM), highly efficient pumping system. The pump has low fluid velocity changes, with an RPM as low as 1/10th of current pumps in the market, this has the potential to dramatically reduce sheer stresses and damage to various bio-fluids, including blood.
Competing technologies
The flow through these pump devices are turbulent in nature. Their characteristics are to increase the speed and velocity in order to pump the fluid, this results in:
High RPM
High shear stress
High fluid velocity changes
Efficiency losses result in heat
Fluid turbulence
Inability to pump at low flows
Low efficiency / High energy requirements
Axial pumps
~ 8,000 - 40,000+ RPM
Centrifugal pumps
~2,500 - 8,000 RPM
Mixed design pump
~ 4,000 - 10,000 RPM
Typical operating parameters of existing technology
We need to look at things differently
Accelerating a shear sensitive fluid is never a smart idea.
Astronova’s
Competitive advantages
Ultra high efficiencies - 98% volumetric
Low RPM, High flow - e.g VAD 5L/min @ 160 rpm
Positive displacement
Low fluid velocity changes
Pulsatile flow options
Ability to pump low flows
Shape shifting technology
Testing
Our initial concept pump has been haemodynamically tested on a mock circulation loop at the Brisbane ICET Lab with fluid consisting of glycerol and water to simulate the viscosity of blood.
This tested the pump’s ability to restore haemodynamics and demonstrated its ability to operate as:
ECMO, LVAD, RVAD, Bi-VAD and Total Artificial Heart (TAH).
ICET Lab Brisbane testing heamodynamics
Multi chamber demonstration