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Abstract

An impedance pump is a valveless pump made of a compressible tube section coupled at both ends to a relatively more rigid tube. The pump uses the reflection of the waves at the interface between both tubes and constructive interference to induce a non-zero net flow in the tube. The reflection at the interfaces is created by the change in rigidity (impedance difference) between the tubes. This phenomenon is akin to reflections in transmission lines for example 1. Figure 2 depicts this working principle. The actuation creating the pressure wave in the tube must break the symmetry of the system to be able to create a non-zero flow. Figure 1 shows a typical topology for an impedance pump. We note that considering the pressure wave propagation in the circuit is key to understanding the working principle of the pump 2. This mechanism seems to be the cause for the sufficient blood pumping in patients with aortic valve failure 3.

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