A study of PZT valveless micropump with asymmetric obstacles
Journal
Microsystem Technologies
Journal Volume
15
Journal Issue
7
Pages
993-1000
Date Issued
2009
Author(s)
Abstract
The results of a study on a new type of PZT valveless micropump with asymmetric obstacles are presented in this paper. The valveless micropump was made through a MEMS fabrication process by using simply only one photo mask. Asymmetric obstacles are used for the flow directing device instead of the diffuser/nozzle elements used in previous studies. In this study, numerical simulations were also carried out to evaluate the design and the performance of the new micropump. The main feature of the present micropump is that it has a uniform cross-section area across the micro-channel, which gives many advantages. The differential pressure head and the pumping flow rate can be adjusted easily by using obstacles of different shapes and changing the PZT operating frequency without changing the dimensions of the micro-channel. In this experiment, the performance of the micropump was evaluated by measuring the pressure head difference and the flow rate as the input voltage ranged from 20 to 40 V, a range much lower than those in previous studies. The pumping pressure can reach a maximum of 1.2 kPa, and the maximum net volume flow rate is 156 μl/min. These test data indicate that this micropump fulfills the demands for most micro-fluidic systems. Moreover, the present device can be easily applied to complex systems with combinations of several pumps and microchannels in the future. © 2009 Springer-Verlag.
SDGs
Type
journal article