Experimental thermal study of a TET system for implantable biomedical devices

Abstract

Power can be transferred across the skin using time varying magnetic fields to energize implantable medical devices. One of the most important concerns is the temperature rise caused by power loss and heating of such TET (Transcutanoues Energy Transfer) systems. This paper presents an experimental study of a TET system implanted in a sheep. The temperature rise in the internal and external coils of a TET system is analysed for power delivery in the 7W to 25W range. A power loss analysis of the overall system for three different loading conditions has been carried out and comparisons are presented. The TET system presented operates with an efficiency of 80.5% and a temperature rise of 2degC was observed in the implanted secondary coil when delivering 7W of power to the load.