Unveiling the missing transport mechanism inside the valveless micropump
Journal
Lab on a Chip
Journal Volume
12
Journal Issue
17
Pages
3024-3027
Date Issued
2012
Author(s)
Abstract
It has long been held, misleadingly, that the rectifier is the only decisive element for the design of fluid transportation in a valveless micropump. We have shown here that pump performance is also critically dependent on the design of the vibration chamber, a neglected element in micropump design that has drawn almost no attention in the past. Moreover, the generally used in-line design has, surprisingly, the lowest efficiency. The transport mechanism was found to be linked to the hydraulic coupling of two asymmetric vortex pairs inside the vibration chamber. Based upon the discovered flow mechanism, the proposed design inspired by an ancient fish trap has shown extraordinary improvement in micropump performance. It could also be potentially integrated with most existing designs for further energy saving.
SDGs
Publisher
Royal Society of Chemistry
Type
journal article