P1.5 - A standard to measure flow rates between 1 and 50 nl/min
- Event
- AMA Conferences 2013
2013-05-14 - 2013-05-16
Nürnberg - Band
- Proceedings SENSOR 2013
- Chapter
- P1 - Mechanical
- Author(s)
- M. Ahrens, C. Damiani - Lübeck University of Applied Sciences (Germany), S. Klein, B. Nestler - Centre of Excellence for Technology and Engineering in Medicine (TANDEM), Lübeck (Germany)
- Pages
- 686 - 687
- DOI
- 10.5162/sensor2013/P1.5
- ISBN
- 978-3-9813484-3-9
- Price
- free
Abstract
The performance of medical devices for transfusion, infusion and injection of fluids must be checked using flow standards before they can be placed on the market. In the near future,
however, medical devices should deliver and measure even variable flow profiles down to 1 nl/min (e.g. programmable implantable medicament pumps). Current standards for extremely low flow rates are based on gravimetric measurements and are only reliable for constant or slowly changing flow profiles down to 300 nl/min [1], the uncertainty increases with shorter measurement times. Thermal flow sensors are calibrated to a minimum flow of 50nl/min, but have a relatively high flow resistance [2]. To characterize the fluid flow characteristics in the low range, a minimum fluid resistance of the sensor is necessary [3]. This work presents a highly sensitive front tracking system which can now be used to measure fast changing flows down to 1 nl/min within minutes over a period of hours.