Experimentally Validated Hemodynamics Simulations of Mechanical Heart Valves in Three Dimensions

Abstract—Mechanical heart valves (MHV) have been widely deployed as a routine surgical treatment option for patients with heart valve diseases due to its durability and performance. Understanding hemodynamics of MHV plays a key role in performance assessment as well as design. In this work, we propose a numerical method for simulations of full three dimensional MHV with moving valve leaflets in a typical human cardiac cycle. A cell-centered finite volume method is employed to model incompressible flows in MHV. As the flow experiences from laminar to turbulence over every cardiac cycle, the unsteadyReynolds averageNavier–Stokes (URANS) equations is solved with k and Spalart–Allmaras turbulence models to resolve large scaled turbulent eddies in highReynolds number flow regimes. URANS approach chosen for the balance of turbulence resolution and computational cost show