ibidi Pump System
8
Technical Details
8.1
Working Principle of the ibidi Pump
The ibidi Pump and the ibidi Fluidic Unit work together to create a unidirectional, oscillatory, or
pulsatile flow of medium within ibidi channel slides. The working principle of the pump is explained
in the following figure, which details air pressure, flow rate and shear stress correlations.
Figure 47: Working principle of flow and shear stress generation.
1. The pump generates a constant pressure (mbar) that pumps the liquid from one reservoir to the
other.
2. The applied pressure results in a specific flow rate (ml/min) that is dependent on the pressure
input, the viscosity of the medium, and the flow resistance of the perfusion system (tubing and
slide).
3. The specific flow rate (ml/min) produces a wall shear stress (dyn/cm
2
) to which the cells are
exposed.
The pump supplies a constant air pressure to the reservoirs of the Fluidic Unit, which generates a
constant flow of medium within the ibidi channel slides. Before the reservoir runs dry, the liquid is
pumped back and forth between the two media reservoirs of the Fluidic Unit. To create a unidirec-
tional flow, two valves, labeled (V1) and (V2), are integrated in the Fluidic Unit, which are switched
simultaneously between two states (Figure
Version 2.6 (May 12, 2022)
60
Instruction Manual
