Laminar flowmeter for mechanical ventilator: Manufacturing challenge of Covid-19 pandemic

Jaafar Alsalaet; Basil Sh Munahi; Raheem Al-Sabur; Mohammed Al-Saad; Abdulbaki K Ali; Abdulbaseer Shari B; Hayder Ali Fadhil; Rafil M Laftah; Muneer Ismael

doi:10.1016/j.flowmeasinst.2021.102058

Laminar flowmeter for mechanical ventilator: Manufacturing challenge of Covid-19 pandemic

Flow Meas Instrum. 2021 Dec:82:102058. doi: 10.1016/j.flowmeasinst.2021.102058. Epub 2021 Oct 1.

Authors

Jaafar Alsalaet¹, Basil Sh Munahi¹, Raheem Al-Sabur¹, Mohammed Al-Saad¹, Abdulbaki K Ali¹, Abdulbaseer Shari B¹, Hayder Ali Fadhil¹, Rafil M Laftah¹, Muneer Ismael¹

Affiliation

¹ University of Basrah, Engineering College, Basrah, 61004, Iraq.

Abstract

The rapid and sudden attack of the covid-19 pandemic has emerged the urgent need for pulmonary resuscitation devices (ventilators). The airflow sensor is a main element in the ventilator. Sensing very low airflow rates is an essential requirement to meet the least significant bit of the analogue to digital converter included in the ventilator. This short communication describes the fabrication and test of five flow sensors using basic and the 3D printing techniques to overcome the severe challenge arising from the pandemic under strict quarantine. The principle of these five flow sensors is based on Fleisch pneumotachograph technology, which creates a pseudo-laminar flow within a bundle of capillary tubes. Amongst the five tested sensors, those fabricated by 3D printing technique were the most accurate and reliable. Results show that the 3D printed sensor of 33 trapezoidal capillary tubes and displaced pressure taps meet the requirement of sensing flowrates with less resistance to patient at exhalation and more linearity figure. The experimental data were correlated using a sophisticated MMF correlation with an R-squared factor of 0.9999 and a percentage error of 1.68%.

Keywords: 3D printing; Fleisch pneumotachograph; Laminar flowmeter; Ventilator.