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Optimizing peristaltic pumps
Damien Lamisse
24/1/2025
Summary
What is the context and application of the customer?
Peristaltic pumps used in medical devices, such as infusion pumps and dialysis pumps, are based on a simple principle: a flexible hose carries the fluid, while sockets or rollers press on the rotating pipe to move the fluid. However, this mechanism generates significant friction between the pipe and the sockets, which can lead to rapid pipe degradation and inefficiencies in pumping.
What was the customer's fixing solution before coming to see us?
Initially, the customer used standard stainless steel sockets. Although having a remarkable visual appearance, these sockets had a significant surface roughness (Ra>0.6 µm), amplifying the forces of friction with the pipe.
Consequences of this solution:
- Pipe wear, requiring a frequent change during pump maintenance.
- Reduced engine life, excessive friction puts more strain on the engine.
- Increase in local temperature, which may affect the stability of temperature-sensitive fluids.
What studies have we done?
We carried out a series of tests in our laboratory to quantify the effects of friction and identify an optimal solution:
- Friction tests : Comparison between standard sockets and polished sockets.
- Simulations of extended cycles : Tests over 100 million cycles.
- Thermal analyses : Study of temperature increases on pipes subjected to continuous pressure containing thermosensitive health products (PST).
What recommendation did we make?
After analysis, we proposed high precision polished sockets, optimizing their surface roughness to Ra = 0.5 µm with a polishing operation. This modification made it possible to reduce friction while increasing the durability of the components.
Advantages of the solution:
- Reduction of friction : Less heat generated and less wear on the pipes.
- Accuracy improvement : The pumps maintain stable performance even after long periods of use.
- Ease of manufacture : The solution is compatible with existing industrial processes.
- Sustainability of critical industrial processes: the system guarantees the quality of the fluid circulating in the pump thanks to the control of the temperature.
What are the quantifiable benefits for our customer?
- Reduction of friction : The coefficient of friction has changed from 0.45 (standard sockets) to 0.3 (polished sockets), a decrease of 33% %.
- Improving the lifespan : The systems studied saw their durability increase by 60%, achieving a minimum life cycle of 50 million cycles, i.e. 5 years of normal use.
- Controlled thermal stability :
- With standard sockets, the temperature measured under prolonged conditions fluctuated near the upper limit (7.8 °C) after 1 million cycles, which may alter certain sensitive fluids.
- With polished sockets, the temperature has been stabilized around 5.5 °C, remaining well within the safety range (between +2 and +8°C), thus guaranteeing the integrity of temperature-sensitive health products.
