Roggia, Gonzalo

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Numerical simulations of on acoustic wave-guided inside a catheter
(2011-12) Roggia, Gonzalo; Gutiérrez, Gustavo; College of Engineering; Leonardi, Stefano; Cancelos, Silvina; Department of Mechanical Engineering; Castillo, Paul
People with chronic diseases like cancer or renal failure have permanent catheters trough which drug are administrated or dialysis performed. These catheters can accumulate sediments and be obstructed. Replacing is a viable option. However, the major downside is the stress and anxiety that causes to the patients. The idea of nondestructive testing used in industrial applications inspires to use acoustic waves as a possible way to diagnose obstructions. The method for scanning the catheter using acoustic guided waves across the catheter by pulse-echo procedure is studied using numerical simulations. Some numerical schemes are analyzed. The Lax-Wendroff method was selected with MC limiter as a good option for this work. The code was validated with analytical solutions, using simplified boundaries conditions and simple geometry domain. Numerical simulations were carried out to detect the presence of obstruction. By placing an interface water-air, an acoustic wave-guided can be obtained. Finally, a set of simulations of an obstructed catheter model show the feasibility to determine the location of different sizes occlusions inside the catheter.