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Analyzing Mixing Inhomogeneity in a Microfluidic Device by Microscale Schlieren Technique
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Instantaneous simulation of fluids and particles in complex microfluidic devices.
Junchao Wang1, Victor G J Rodgers1, Philip Brisk2
1Department of Bioengineering, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, United States of America.
Plos One
|December 22, 2017
Summary
This study introduces a rapid microfluidic simulation method, enabling near-instantaneous analysis of fluid and particle behavior in microfluidic chips. This accelerates the design and development of novel microfluidic devices.
Area of Science:
- Microfluidics
- Computational Science
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Computer simulations are crucial in microfluidics research but are often computationally intensive.
- Slow simulation times hinder the rapid development of new microfluidic chips for diverse applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a significantly faster microfluidic simulation method.
- To enable near-instantaneous simulation of fluid and particle behavior in microfluidic devices.
Main Methods:
- A novel simulation approach decomposes microfluidic chips into channels and intersections.
- Channel behavior is modeled using electronic circuit analogies.
- Intersection behavior is determined by querying a large database of pre-simulated intersections.
Main Results:
- The method achieves microfluidic chip simulations in approximately one second on standard hardware.
- Simulations show no noticeable degradation in accuracy compared to conventional methods.
- The approach successfully simulated particle paths in both simple and complex microfluidic chips.
Conclusions:
- This rapid simulation technique accelerates microfluidic chip design and development.
- The method offers a viable alternative to computationally intensive traditional simulations.
- Future work aims to expand the range of compatible microfluidic chip designs.
