Expandable impeller pump

[0001] This application claims priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/610,938, filed Sep. 17, 2004, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present invention relates to fluid pumping impellers, in particular to expandable impellers.

[0003] Conventional impellers are manufactured with a particular blade configuration, and significant deformation of the blades is generally undesirable. Conventionally, the impeller has the same configuration during storage, movement to its operating location, and use. However, there are situations where access to the operating location is through a restricted space, or space is otherwise at a premium during storage or transport of the impeller, in which case the use of conventional impellers can be problematic.

[0004] An impeller according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises a hub, and at least one blade supported by the hub, the blade having a proximal end attached to the hub and a distal end. The impeller has a deployed configuration in which the blade extends away from the hub, and a stored configuration in which the impeller is radially compressed. In the stored configuration, the distal end of the blade is closer to the hub than in the deployed configuration. The impeller may comprise a plurality of blades, arranged in blade rows. The blade rows may be spaced apart along the hub, and each blade row includes one or more blades. For example, each blade row may comprise two or three blades. An example impeller includes two blade rows, each blade row comprising two blades.

[0005] The impeller may comprise a unitary impeller body, the unitary impeller body including the hub and the blade. Alternatively, the blades and hub may be formed from different materials. Preferably, the blades are flexible, so that they can be deformed towards the hub in the stored configuration. The blades may be formed from a polymer, such as a polyurethane. In example impellers, the blades are formed from a polymer having a flexural modulus of approximately 10,000 psi for operational stresses, such as a low flexural modulus polyurethane. For example, the impeller may comprise a unitary body of material having a flexural modulus of approximately 10,000 psi for operational stresses, the unitary body including the hub and blade(s). The modulus is preferably less for deformation of blades into the stored state of the impeller. For example, the modulus for operational stresses may be approximately 10,000, whereas the modulus for radial compression of the impeller from the deployed state to the stored state may be approximately 1,000, approximately ten times less.

[0006] The impeller blade (or blades) may deform during operation, and the optimum configuration of a blade may only be achieved under deployment and rotation. For example, the optimal design configuration of the blade may only be achieved with deformation under load. Hence, blade deformation in use, due to flexibility of the blade, need not lead to reduced performance. Successful operation can occur even when the impeller exhibits significant deflections from a manufactured shape. The impeller can be manufactured with allowance for the deflection included in the design. The configuration of a deformed impeller operating at a predetermined rotation rate, or within a predetermined operating range, can be optimized. Hence, in further embodiments of the present invention, the impeller further has an operational configuration, achieved from the deployed configuration by deformation of the blades under load, for example upon rotation of the impeller in the deployed configuration within a fluid. An improved approach to optimizing a flexible impeller is to optimize the operational configuration. Conventionally, the unloaded deployed configuration is optimized.

[0007] Impellers according to the present invention may further be attached to a shaft, such as a flexible shaft, having one end coupled to the impeller. A torque applied to the other end of the shaft is used to rotate the impeller. The other end of the shaft may be coupled to a rotating member, such as a motor, which powers the rotation of the impeller. The shaft may also be used to deploy the impeller, i.e. to achieve the deployed configuration from the stored configuration. For example, the shaft may be used to push the impeller out of a storage sleeve, such as a metal tube. The shaft may also be used to rotate the impeller within the storage sleeve, and this twisting of the impeller within the storage sleeve may help drive the impeller out of the storage sleeve, where it achieves the deployed configuration.

[0008] Impellers according to the present invention may self-deploy into the deployed configuration from the stored configuration, driven by stored strain energy of the impeller in the stored configuration. For example, if the impeller is pushed out of the storage sleeve, stored strain energy within the blades may cause the deployed configuration to form without any other mechanical intervention.

[0009] Impellers according to the present invention may be used for a variety of applications, such as an axial pump for a fluid (gas or liquid), a motive force for a vehicle, or other application.

[0010] In further embodiments of the present invention, the impeller has one or more indentations located proximate to the proximal end of at least one blade of the impeller. The impeller may have a plurality of blades, each with at least one associated indentation. The indentation may be a trench formed in the hub, surrounding at least part of the proximal end of the blade (the base of the blade) where the blade joins the hub. The indentation may be an elongate indentation, such as a trench, extending substantially parallel and adjacent to the proximal end of the blade.

[0011] The indentation can reduce flow vortices formed as the fluid moves relative to the impeller. The indentation may also facilitate compression of the impeller into the stored configuration, for example by facilitating movement of the distal end of the blade towards the hub. A typical blade has a pressure face and a suction face, and the indentation may comprise a trench parallel and adjacent to one or both of these faces. A blade may have an airfoil cross-section, the indentation being a curved trench formed in the impeller parallel to the curved proximal end of the blade.

[0012] In further embodiments of the present invention, an impeller includes a blade supported on a hub, and the distal end of the blade relative to the hub (the blade tip) has a winglet. The winglet increases the cross-sectional area of the blade at the distal end of the blade. A winglet may extend tangentially from the blade, the tangent being to a circular motion path of the blade tip on rotation of the impeller. The winglet may extend in the direction of motion of the impeller (from the pressure face of the impeller), in the opposed direction from the direction of motion (from the suction face of the impeller), or in both directions. The blade provides a pressure face and a suction face as the blade rotates, the blade having a blade rotation direction, and the winglet may extend parallel to the blade rotation direction in either or both directions (the winglet and the blade may generally forming an approximate T-shape in cross-section). If the blade has a distal thickness between the pressure face and the suction face at the distal end of the blade, the winglet may have a winglet width between approximately one and three times the distal thickness of the blade, measured in a direction parallel to the blade rotation direction. If the blade has a chord length, the winglet may have a length approximately equal to the chord length. Further, the winglet may form a hydraulic bearing for rotation of the impeller with the inner surface of a sleeve through which fluid flows.

[0013] In embodiments of the present invention, the distal end of the blade, either with or without a winglet, is located proximate to the interior surface of a cylindrical sleeve, the distance (tip gap) between the blade distal end and the inner diameter of the sleeve being approximately 10 to 50 percent of the maximum thickness of the distal end of the blade.

[0029] An impeller according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises a hub, and at least one blade supported by the hub. Embodiments of the present invention include impellers having at least one flexible blade, having a deployed configuration in which the blade extends away from the hub, and a stored configuration in which the impeller is radially compressed. For example, the blade may be folded in towards the hub, and held there by a storage sleeve such as a metal tube or cannula. In the stored configuration, the distal end of the blade is closer to the hub than in the deployed configuration, and the radius can be significantly less, such as less than half that of the radius in the deployed state. The sleeve may comprise a non-expandable portion, in which the impeller is stored, and an expandable portion, into which the impeller can be moved for deployment. The impeller deploys within the expanded portion of the sleeve.

[0030] Impellers according to the present invention may comprise a plurality of blades, arranged in blade rows. The blade rows may be spaced apart along the hub, each blade row including one or more blades. For example, each blade row may comprise two or three blades. Achieving the stored configuration is facilitated by providing multiple blade rows, rather than, for example, a single long blade curving around the hub. A single long blade can be considerably more difficult to fold in towards the hub.

[0031] Embodiments of the present invention may further include a sleeve, at least part of the impeller being located within the sleeve, and the fluid flowing through the sleeve when the impeller rotates. The sleeve may be expandable, the sleeve having an expanded configuration when the impeller is in the deployed configuration, and a stored configuration when the impeller is in the stored configuration. The sleeve may act to constrain the impeller in the stored configuration. Alternatively, a separate storage sleeve may be provided, with the impeller and expandable sleeve both expanding when pushed out of the storage sleeve. An expandable sleeve may comprise a metal framework, for example comprising a shape memory alloy. An elastic polymer film may be disposed over the metal framework. Impeller blades may have a winglet at the distal end of the blade, the winglet and the sleeve providing a hydraulic bearing for rotation of the impeller. For example, the sleeve may have a cylindrical inner surface inside which the impeller rotates, the fluid flowing through the sleeve, with the winglet of each blade moving proximate to the cylindrical inner surface as the impeller rotates, the fluid between the winglet and cylindrical inner surface forming the hydraulic bearing for rotation of the impeller.

[0032] An impeller may be stored in a storage sleeve, and deployed in a fluid pipe, through which fluid flows when the impeller is rotated. The storage sleeve may have a diameter approximately equal to or less than half the diameter of the fluid pipe. The storage sleeve may be a metal tube, in which the impeller is stored prior to deployment. The fluid pipe may be a utility pipe (water, gas, sewage, and the like), bodily vessel (such as a blood vessel), portion of a thrust unit for a vehicle, or other structure through which a fluid may flow. The impeller may be conveyed to a desired location in a stored configuration, then self-deploy to an expanded, deployed state. The stored configuration facilitates conveyance of the impeller to the desired location, enabling it to be passed through openings less than the diameter of the deployed state.

[0033] The fluid pipe may be an expanded form of the storage sleeve, expansion of the storage sleeve allowing the impeller to deploy. In this case, the impeller does not need to be pushed out of the sleeve to achieve the deployed configuration. For example, an impeller according to an example of the present invention can be inserted in the stored configuration through a small entrance hole into a pipe of larger diameter. The impeller can be deployed by causing the impeller to move out of the storage sleeve using the drive shaft. The impeller then unfolds into the deployed state using stored strain energy in the blade material.

[0034] Rotation of the impeller may further change the blade configuration to an operating configuration. An impeller may have flexible blades that deform into an optimized hydrodynamic shape when rotating and operating under design load conditions.

[0035] Embodiments of the present invention include impellers having at least one blade having a winglet. In the operating state, the winglet can improve hydrodynamic performance of the impeller and reduce shear stresses that exist within the fluid. Impellers may include a plurality of blades that facilitate the folding of the blades into the storage state. The blades may be arranged in a plurality of rows of blades that facilitate the folding of the blades into the storage state, compared with folding a single blade extending a similar distance along the hub. The blades and (optionally) the hub may be constructed of a low modulus material such as a polymer. The impeller can be a unitary structure, with the blades and impeller formed from the same material, for example by molding a polymer.

[0036] An impeller with a plurality of blade rows also facilitates the input of large values of fluid head or pressure rise. The specific speed of an axial flow impeller according to the present invention may be comparable to the specific speed of mixed flow pumps.

[0037] An impeller can be inserted into a pipe in a folded state and subsequently deployed. The impeller, when deployed in a fluid flow pipe, may further deform into an operating configuration when the fluid is being pumped by impeller rotation. At the end of the operation of the impeller, the impeller can be radially compressed back into the stored configuration, for example by re-folding the flexible blades, and extracted through an entrance hole having a diameter less than that of the fluid pipe or deployed configuration. For example, the blades can be refolded and the impeller extracted into a cylindrical storage cavity by means of an attached rotary drive shaft or guide wire.

[0038] An impeller according to the present invention can operate in a low Reynolds number pipe flow, where the pipe boundary layer comprises a majority of the flow in the pipe. The Reynolds number of the relative flow over the blades can be low, compared to conventional impellers and pumps.

[0039] The impeller can be optimized to operate in a non-Newtonian fluid. The impeller can be optimized to operate in a fluid containing delicate particles (such as emulsion droplets, cells, and the like) that are damaged by excessive shearing stress in the fluid. The impeller can be designed so that the operational configuration is optimized, not necessarily the same as the deployed configuration under no loading.

[0040] An impeller with an indentation in the hub about the blade root can have reduced internal mechanical stresses within the blades when in the stored configuration. The indentation may also be used to further reduce fluid shear stress induced by the impeller in the operating state.

[0041] The blades can be formed from polymer materials, such as polyurethane. A polymer, such as polyurethane, having a modulus of 10,000 psi can be used. In some examples, the blades may have a stiffness approximating that of a thick rubber band. Hence, the blades have some stiffness but will deform under operating load. For example, the material can be chosen so as to have a linear modulus at operational stresses, allowing predictable deformation under load, and a non-linear modulus at the higher stresses used to fold the blades into the stored configuration.

[0042] FIG. 1A shows an impeller in a deployed configuration, the impeller comprising a hub 10 and blades such as blade 12. The impeller has a radius R₁, as measured from the central long axis of the hub to the outermost blade tip. Also shown is a fluid flow sleeve 14, through which fluid flows relative to the impeller. The impeller may be used as an axial pump, to pump fluid through the sleeve. Alternatively, the impeller may be used as a motive force provider for a vehicle. For example, the impeller may power a boat, such as a jet-boat, or other water craft, the sleeve being a tube immersed in the water surrounding the vehicle. In this configuration, the blades are deployed.

[0043] FIG. 1B shows the impeller in a stored configuration, with blade 12 folded or otherwise deformed towards the hub 10. The radius R₂ is less than the radius R₁ shown in FIG. 1A.

[0044] An impeller according to an embodiment of the present invention has flexible blades that can be folded such that the maximum diameter of the impeller in the folded state is approximately half, or less than half, the diameter of the impeller in the operating state. Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, this corresponds to R₂≈≦(R₁/2).

[0045] FIG. 2 is a schematic illustrating deployment of the impeller. The impeller has hub 20 and blades such as 22, and is retained in the stored configuration by storage sleeve 24. A rotating shaft 30 is used to drive the impeller. The figure also shows a guide wire 28 within the rotating shaft, which can be used to position the impeller, and also to help push the impeller out of the storage sleeve. The storage sleeve may be, for example, a metal tube. Rotation of the shaft may also assist deploying the impeller, for example through twisting the impeller out of the storage sleeve if the inner surface of the storage sleeve has a threaded texture. On the left, a fluid pipe 26 is shown, through which fluid flows when the impeller is deployed and rotated.

[0046] An impeller in the stored configuration can be stored in a cylindrical cavity formed by storage sleeve 24 of diameter approximately equal to or less than half the diameter of the fluid pipe 26.

[0047] The storage sleeve may be a metal tube, in which the impeller is stored prior to deployment. The fluid pipe 26 is any structure through which a fluid may flow relative to the impeller, such as a tube or bodily vessel. The impeller may be conveyed to the desired location within the fluid pipe in the stored configuration, then self-deploy to an expanded, deployed state. The stored configuration allows the impeller to pass through openings having an area less than the area of the deployed state, as swept out by the rotating blades.

[0048] Alternatively, the fluid pipe 26 may be an expanded form of the storage sleeve 24, expansion of the constraining sleeve allowing the impeller to deploy. In this case, the impeller does not need to be pushed out of the sleeve to achieve the deployed configuration. For example, an impeller can be inserted into a fluid pipe through a smaller hole, such as a smaller branch pipe or hole in the pipe wall. The impeller can then be deployed by causing the impeller to move out of the storage sleeve using the drive shaft. Deployment may occur without any outside energy input, using stored strain energy in the blades when the blades are in the stored configuration.

[0049] FIG. 3A further illustrates an impeller in a stored configuration, showing blades such as blade 34, and hub 30. The blades are kept folded against the hub by the storage sleeve 36. FIG. 3B shows the impeller pushed out of the storage sleeve and self-deployed. The impeller has two rows of blades, as is seen more clearly in the deployed state, the first row including blade 34 and the second row including blade 32.

[0050] FIG. 4 shows an impeller comprising hub 60 and a plurality of blades, the blades being shown in both the deployed and operating configurations. The deployed configuration is the blade configuration under no load, and the operating configuration is the configuration when the impeller rotates at the operational rotation speed. The blades are shown at 62A, 64A, and 66A for the deployed configuration. When under load, such as rotating in a fluid, the blades deform to an operational configuration, with the blades at 62B, 64B, and 66B. Rotation of the impeller changes the blade configuration from the deployed configuration (for no load) to an operating configuration. The flexible blades can deform into an optimized hydrodynamic shape when rotating and operating under design load conditions.

[0051] FIG. 4 compares the deployed blade shape with the operating blade shape. For a hub and blades formed from the same polymer, simulations showed that the hub also deflects slightly in a rotational manner, as the second blade row is rotated at the root compared to the first blade row. In general, the blades deflect forward as the lift on the blades is such that they create thrust, a force directed towards the left side of the figure, moving the blades toward the right side of the picture. The leading edge of the second blade row is obscured. There are two blade rows, each with two identical blades.

[0052] Blade shapes can be optimized using standard computational fluid dynamics analysis (CFD). However, conventionally, the non-rotating, non-loaded configuration is optimized. (If the impeller is not expandable, the deployed shape is the shape of the impeller when not rotating, and there is no stored configuration). An improved impeller has an optimized operational configuration, and an improved method of designing an impeller includes optimizing the operational configuration. A structural computation determines an allowance for deformation under load from the deployed state.

[0053] FIG. 5 illustrates an impeller design having a low Reynolds number. The impeller comprises hub 80, and two rows of blades having two blades each. The first row includes blades 82 and 84, and the second row includes blades 86 and 88.

[0054] This illustration shows the design elements of low Reynolds number impeller, where the thickness of the boundary layer on the fluid pipe walls is as thick as the diameter of the pipe. The impeller has highly curved leading and trailing edge lines where the blade pitch angles are adjusted for the local values of relative flow angle. The second row blades have a groove-like feature that takes a helical path from the leading edge to the trailing edge. This is due to variations in the spanwise loading, and allows an axial flow pump using this impeller to achieve a head rise similar to that of a mixed flow pump. The middle of the span of the blade is relatively highly loaded, leading to this feature. The second row blades may be further split into two separated blade rows, and this general feature will still present but not so apparent.

[0055] FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate end and side views of an impeller, respectively. The impeller comprises hub 100, a first row of blades comprising blades 102 and 104, a second row of blades comprising blades 106 and 108, and a third row of blades comprising blades 110 and 112.

[0056] For a mixed flow impeller of similar performance, the hub diameter is typically much larger, so that folding into a stored diameter half the deployed diameter is impossible.

[0057] FIGS. 7A and 7B show a side and end view of a blade 120 having a winglet 122 at the distal end. FIG. 7A shows the distal cross section of the blade as a dashed line. FIG. 7B shows the winglet moving proximate to the inner surface of a fluid flow sleeve, a configuration which may be used as a hydraulic bearing for the impeller.

[0058] Impellers may have at least one blade having a winglet. In some embodiments, all blades within a blade row include a winglet; other blades may or may not have a winglet. A winglet can improve hydrodynamic performance of the impeller. A winglet may also reduce shear stresses that exist within the fluid, for example reducing degradation of biological structures such as cells that may exist within the fluid.

[0059] FIGS. 8A-8C show possible winglet configurations. An impeller blade typically has a pair of opposed faces: a pressure face inducing relative motion of the fluid through pressure as the blade rotates through the fluid; and a suction face inducing fluid motion by suction. The blade also has a leading edge cutting though the fluid as the blade rotates, a trailing edge, and an outer edge (which may also be referred to as a blade tip or edge of the distal end of the blade). The winglet is supported by the outer edge or blade tip, which has an airfoil shape. As shown, the suction side of the blade is on the right, and the pressure side is on the left.

[0060] FIG. 8A shows a suction side winglet, the winglet 142 extending from the suction side of the outer edge of blade 140. This is a view from the leading edge, in cross-section, so that the blade rotates towards the direction of viewing. FIG. 8B shows a pressure side winglet 146, extending from the pressure face of the blade 144. The parameters may be similar to the suction side winglet. The function of the pressure side winglet is to reduce flow through the gap. There is less effect of creating a hydrodynamic bearing, but the pressure side winglet “scrapes” low momentum fluid off the inner surface of the fluid pipe and prevents this fluid from entering the gap and subsequently being used in the core of a tip vortex. This can reduce shearing stresses in the bulk of the fluid flow.

[0061] FIG. 8C illustrates a combined winglet, extending from both the pressure and suction sides of the outer edge. Embodiments of the present invention include the configurations shown in FIGS. 8A-8C. Numerical methods can be used to design the winglet configurations. Where the blade chord lengths are long and the blade has a significant helical extent, the geometry and shape of the blade tip and the winglet can become complex.

[0062] FIG. 8D shows possible winglet edge geometries which may be used. The figure shows a radius edge 150, sharp edge 152, and chisel edges 154 and 156.

[0063] FIGS. 9A-9D further illustrate winglet configurations, the blade supporting the winglet retaining the same shape in these examples. FIG. 9A illustrates the outer edge of a blade 160, not having a winglet.

[0064] FIG. 9B shows a pressure side winglet extending the pressure side of the outer blade edge, extending over portion 164. The portion 162 of the winglet corresponds to the original outer edge area of the blade shown in FIG. 9A.

[0065] FIG. 9C shows a suction side winglet, the portion 166 extending from the suction side of the outer edge of the blade, and the portion 168 corresponding to the original outer edge of the blade. In embodiments of the present invention, the pressure side of the blade will have a radius of approximately ⅓ to ½ the blade thickness or width. The extent of the winglet may be from ½ to 3 times the blade thickness. A thickness approximately equal to the blade thickness is shown. The winglet is mostly positioned to the downstream half of the blade as shown. The purpose is to create a hydrodynamic bearing where the outer face of the winglet is in close proximity to the inner surface of the fluid pipe in which the blade is operating. Flow in the gap is reduced in strength, and a tip vortex is less likely to form. This reduces shearing stresses in the fluid. The gap can be between approximately 10 to approximately 25 percent of the base blade maximum thickness. The gap is a mostly parallel surface to the pipe of casing. It can be a cylindrical, conical, or curved side cylinder where the radius is a function of the axial position of the blade element. Parameters for the pressure side and combined (described below) winglets may be similar.

[0066] FIG. 9D shows a combined pressure side and suction side winglet extending from both the pressure face and the suction faces of the blade, the portion 170 extending from the pressure face, the portion 174 extending from the suction face, and a portion 172 corresponding to the original outer edge of the blade.

[0067] The winglets are preferably aerodynamically smooth shapes. The winglets have leading edges where flows impact the edges of the winglets, and trailing edges where flow is discharged from the winglet surfaces. Winglets preferably have smooth aerodynamic cross sections, generally in the direction of the mean flow, which is parallel to the flow direction along the blade tip surfaces.

[0068] FIGS. 10A and 10B illustrate the provision of an indentation, in this case a trench, proximate to the base of a blade. FIG. 10A shows blade 180, surrounded by trench 182. The trench is formed in hub 184, and is parallel with and adjacent to the proximal edge of the blade, the proximal edge of the blade extending around the base of the blade where it joins the hub. FIG. 10B is a sectional view, showing the trench 182 and blade 180. The indentation may also be referred to as a “dillet”.

[0069] An indentation close to the blade root, such as a trench around some or all of the blade root, can help reduce internal mechanical stresses in the blades when the blades are in the stored configuration, for example folded against the hub. The indentation may also be used to reduce fluid shear stress in the operating state.

[0070] FIG. 11 is a photograph of an impeller molded to a configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention. The impeller is a polyurethane impeller taken from a mold, having two blades rows of three blades each.

[0071] FIG. 12 is a stress-strain relationship of a non-linear material that can be used to form an impeller according to the present invention. The left (low stress) and right (high stress) filled circles correspond to the impeller operating point and storage conditions, respectively. The stress/strain relationship is approximately linear at the impeller operating point. The storage condition, where the blades are folded against the hub, is within the high strain non-linear portion of the material property curve. This allows the stored configuration to be achieved without passing the material tensile failure point. In example impellers, the maximum material elongation in the stored configuration is approximately 75 percent.

[0072] Preferably, a non-linear property material is used for the blades. The blade material can be relatively stiff at operating loads, and the same material relatively flexible at higher strains, for example when the blades are folded in the stored condition. For example, the strain might be 10 percent at operating loads and 75 percent while folded, and the stress/strain curve has high modulus (e.g. 10000) at operating loads, and low modulus (e.g. 1000) at higher loads associated with folding. The stress-strain curve may have two approximately linear regions with a break point between the operating point and the folded point strains.

[0073] FIG. 13 illustrates optimization for fluid shear stress for an example impeller. The distal end of the impeller blade moves proximate to the interior surface of a cylindrical sleeve, the tip gap between the blade distal end and the inner diameter of the sleeve being approximately 10 to 50 percent of the maximum thickness of the distal end of the blade.

[0074] The curve is double normalized, the design point value being 1.0, the scales being read as a factor times the value of stress at the design point. For example, FIG. 13 illustrates that making the tip gap smaller makes the shear stress higher, whereas making the gap bigger reduces the stress, by a smaller factor. Therefore, the fluid shear stress can be reduced without significantly impacting pumping efficiency.

[0075] Impellers according to embodiments may be compressed and packaged into a storage sleeve, such as a metal tube, catheter, or other structure, for insertion into an object. For an object such as a living subject, the diameter of the storage sleeve can be approximately three to four millimeters, or less. Having inserted the device, the impeller can be deployed in situ into a geometry that may be approximately six to seven millimeters in diameter. The impeller then can be rotated using a flexible drive shaft coupled to an external drive motor external to the subject. Impellers according to the present invention can be inserted in the stored state, then deployed into an expanded configuration (relative to the stored state) and be capable of pumping 4 liters per minute, for example, as a medical assist device. In a representative example of such a device, the impeller rotates at approximately 30,000 RPM. The impeller may comprise two or more airfoil shaped blades that form an axial flow pump. The impeller may be positioned using a guide wire and rotated using a flexible shaft. The guide wire may run within a hollow center of the flexible shaft, and the hollow center may also convey saline solution or other fluid for infusion, cooling, and/or lubrication purposes. The guide wire may be removed, if desired. Implantation into a living subject can be achieved through a cannula having a diameter of 3-4 mm, without surgical intervention. For medical implantation, a drive shaft comprising a metal braid, or a polymer or composite material braid, can be used, and the drive shaft diameter may be of the order 1½ to 2 millimeters, and may be hollow to allow a guide wire to pass through.

[0076] In further embodiments, the sleeve has expandable and non-expandable portions. The impeller is stored within the non-expandable portion for insertion. When the impeller is located at or near the desired location, the impeller is then urged out of the non-expandable portion of the sleeve into the expandable portion. The stored elastic energy within the flexible blades of the impeller induces self-deployment of the impeller, and also the expansion of the expandable portion of the sleeve. The expanded sleeve then may have the role of a fluid flow pipe, through which fluid flows when the impeller is rotated. The expandable sleeve may comprise a metal or polymer mesh, or woven fibers, and a smooth sheathing to provide a flexible, expandable tube.

[0077] An expandable sleeve may comprise a mesh formed from a flexible material, such as polymers, metals, or other material. In one example, the mesh is made from nitinol, a memory metal alloy. A thin sheet or cylinder of the metal, of a thickness on the order of a thousandth of an inch, is cut using a laser so as to leave a mesh structure. Alternatively, the mesh can be formed from a polymer. Other suitable materials for the mesh include other metals (such as alloys, including memory metal alloy), polymers, and the like. A coating, such an elastic coating, is then provided over the mesh. For example, an elastic polymer such as Estane™ can be used, or other polyurethane.

[0078] Hence, the expandable sleeve may comprise a mesh, such as a matrix of woven wires, or a machined metal cylinder with laser cut voids representing the spaces between wires, or another material that when deformed in one direction would elongate in the perpendicular direction. The mesh can then be covered with a thin film of elastane to form a fluid flow pipe through which the fluid flows. The mesh can be formed as a cylinder with flow entrance voids at the distal end and flow discharge voids at the proximal end, the proximal end being closer to the point of insertion into an object, such as a pipe or living subject. As the sleeve is shortened in length, for example using a guide wire, the cylinder expands to a greater diameter, allowing a greater flow rate. A hexagonal cell matrix design, or other design, can be used for the mesh. A coating (for example, biocompatible, corrosion resistant, or flow improving) can be applied to the sleeve, for example by solution casting.

[0079] The orientation of the mesh or woven fibers of the sleeve can be chosen to allow two stable configurations, stored and deployed. In one example, designed for subject implantation in the stored position, the expandable sleeve in the deployed configuration was approximately 20-30 cm long and the diameter was approximately 6-7 mm. This diameter allowed for higher fluid flow rate and reduced friction pressure losses. In the stored configuration, the expandable portion was elongated by approximately 30 percent relative to the deployed configuration, and the diameter was approximately 3 mm. The final portion (distal end) of the assembly comprises a second set of openings and plates, providing an inlet or opening for the influx of fluid to be pumped. The sleeve may also provide a guide wire attachment opening for fluid discharge. A short (such as 1 cm) section of the sleeve may contain linear elements (vanes) arranged about the central axis of the sleeve, through which fluid is discharged. The vanes may act as stationary stator blades and remove swirl velocity from the impeller discharge flow. The vanes may be manufactured with airfoil type cross sections. Applications of an impeller deploying within an expandable sleeve include a collapsible fire hose with an integral booster pump, a collapsible propulsor, a biomedical pump for a biological fluid, and the like.

[0080] The impeller blade design can be designed so as to minimize destruction of delicate particles (such as emulsion droplets, suspensions, biological structures such as cells, and the like) within a fluid. A CFD model was used to simulate the shear stresses experienced by particles passing through a simulated impeller. Time integrations of intermediate shear stresses experienced by the particles were used to provide an estimated probability of cell destruction in a biomedical application. A split blade design, in which there are a plurality of blade rows such as discussed above, reduces the residency time that cells remain in intermediate shear stress regions, allowing an advantageous reduction in cell or other particle destruction compared with conventional impeller designs.

[0081] Impeller blades may, for example, occupy as much as 95% of the compressed volume of the impeller when the impeller is in the stored state. The blades may be formed from a rubbery, elastic, or other resilient material that has sufficient resilience to expand when ejected from a sleeve. In other examples, the blades may be formed from other flexible polymers, an expandable foam optionally with a skin, or other compressible or deformable materials including metals.

[0082] Impellers according to embodiments of the present invention may have multiple separate sets of blades, rather than a long, continuous, spiral blade. Prior art impellers typically have a continuous long helical blade that is difficult to fold up against the hub. By splitting a long blade into two or three shorter sections, the blade can be more easily folded into a cylindrical volume or space and subsequently deployed when properly located. The number of blade rows can be one, two, three, four, five, or higher. The twist pitch angles may be variable.

[0083] One approach to impeller design provides a two blade impeller with blades exhibiting a significant degree of wrap around the central hub. However, the three dimensional shape of the blades limits the degree to which they can be folded without deforming or breaking. By breaking a single blade row into two, three (or possibly more) rows of blades that exhibit minimum wrap around the hub, the blades have a more two-dimensional shape, allowing easier bending during the storage process. The combination of three or two blade rows can produce the same flow and pressure as a single blade row. An axial pump was designed with two blade rows, and CFD (computational fluid dynamics) analysis indicated that this pump design was adequate for use in a medical assist application. A model was constructed of a flexible polyurethane material and successfully folded into a metal sleeve.

[0084] Impellers can be used with flows of very small Reynolds number, for example, the pumping of relatively viscous fluids at low velocity or flow rate. Very small impeller pumps, on the order of 6 mm diameter, may be fabricated from a polymer and extracted from a precision mold. This allows production of impellers at very low cost. The use of polymer blades allows the pump impellers to be extracted from molds without becoming mold-locked, and allows the use of one piece molds, instead of multi-part, or split molds. This can be advantageous for pumping small quantities of bio-fluids. Impellers may be used for flows of typical Reynolds numbers as well. Impeller diameters can also be in the range of several inches to several feet.

[0085] Applications of the improved impeller designs described include pumps for chemical engineering, propellers for airborne or maritime vessels, water pumps, and the like. Improved impeller designs are useful for any application where an impeller is to be stored in a compact configuration. Impellers may be formed from metal sheets, plastic, and non-resilient materials, for example, in foldable configurations. Deployment may include the use of motors or other mechanical devices to unfold blades, automatic deployment induced by centrifugal forces, and the like. Examples of the present invention include a device locatable inside a subject so as to pump a fluid, the device being inserted into the subject in an insertion configuration having an insertion cross-section, the device operating inside the subject in an operating configuration having an operating cross-section, wherein the operating cross-section is greater than the insertion cross-section. The operating diameter (of the largest circle swept out by the outer edge of the impeller blade as it rotates) may be over 50% greater than the insertion diameter of the impeller, and may be over 100% greater than the insertion diameter.

[0086] The invention is not restricted to the illustrative examples described above. Examples are not intended as limitations on the scope of the invention. Methods, apparatus, compositions, and the like described herein are exemplary and not intended as limitations on the scope of the invention. Changes therein and other uses will occur to those skilled in the art. The scope of the invention is defined by the scope of the claims.

[0087] Patents, patent applications, or publications mentioned in this specification are incorporated herein by reference to the same extent as if each individual document was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference. In particular, U.S. Prov. Pat. App. Ser. No. 60/610,938, filed Sep. 17, 2004, is incorporated herein in its entirety.