Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 22, 2025
08:32
Assembly and Characterization of an External Driver for the Generation of Sub-Kilohertz Oscillatory Flow in Microchannels
Published on: January 28, 2022
2.7K
A Review of Secondary Flow in Inertial Microfluidics
Qianbin Zhao1, Dan Yuan2, Jun Zhang3
1School of Mechanical, Materials, Mechatronic and Biomedical Engineering, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.
Micromachines
|May 2, 2020
Summary
Inertial microfluidics uses channel geometry to manipulate particles passively. Secondary flow, generated by microchannel structures, enhances particle focusing and separation for biomedical applications.
Area of Science:
- Microfluidics
- Biomedical Engineering
- Particle Manipulation
Background:
- Inertial microfluidics is a passive technology using channel geometry and hydrodynamics for particle manipulation.
- It offers high throughput, simplicity, and low cost for industrial, biomedical, and clinical applications.
- Straight channels in inertial microfluidics lead to multiple particle equilibrium positions, hindering precise separation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the application of secondary flow in inertial microfluidics.
- To highlight how secondary flow improves particle focusing and separation.
- To discuss the design of microchannels for controlling secondary flow.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on inertial microfluidics and secondary flow.
- Analysis of how channel geometry influences secondary flow patterns.
- Examination of particle behavior under the influence of secondary flow.
Main Results:
- Secondary flow, generated by microchannel structures, modifies particle equilibrium positions.
- Secondary flow can reduce equilibrium positions and alter particle focusing locations.
- Well-designed channel structures, like curves or obstacles, control secondary flow magnitude and pattern.
Conclusions:
- Secondary flow is crucial for enhancing particle manipulation in inertial microfluidics.
- Microchannel design is key to controlling secondary flow for improved particle separation and detection.
- This review comprehensively summarizes the diverse applications of secondary flow in inertial microfluidics.
Related Concept Videos
01:27Steady Flow of a Fluid Stream
601
Consider a control volume, such as a pipe with solid boundaries, through which fluid flows and changes direction due to the impulse exerted by the resulting force from the pipe walls. In steady flow, the mass of fluid entering the control volume at a given time, t, with velocity v1, is equal to the mass leaving after infinitesimal time dt, with velocity v2.
During this process, the momentum of the fluid within the control volume remains constant over the time interval dt. By applying the...
During this process, the momentum of the fluid within the control volume remains constant over the time interval dt. By applying the...
601
01:28Irrotational Flow
839
Irrotational flow is characterized by fluid motion where particles do not rotate around their axes, resulting in zero vorticity. For a flow to be irrotational, the curl of the velocity field must be zero. This imposes specific conditions on velocity gradients. For instance, to maintain zero rotation about the z-axis, the gradient condition:
839
01:22Eulerian and Lagrangian Flow Descriptions
1.8K
Fluid flow analysis is critical in many scientific and engineering disciplines, and two principal approaches are used to describe this flow: the Eulerian and Lagrangian methods. These methods offer different perspectives on monitoring and analyzing the motion of fluids, each with distinct advantages depending on the scenario.
The Eulerian method focuses on fixed points in space where fluid properties, such as velocity, pressure, and temperature, are observed as the fluid moves between these...
The Eulerian method focuses on fixed points in space where fluid properties, such as velocity, pressure, and temperature, are observed as the fluid moves between these...
1.8K
01:17Steady, Laminar Flow Between Parallel Plates
703
Understanding steady, laminar flow between parallel plates is essential for analyzing and designing flow in narrow rectangular channels, commonly found in various water conveyance and drainage systems. The Navier-Stokes equations govern fluid motion and are generally challenging to solve due to their nonlinearity. However, simplifications are possible in certain cases, like the steady laminar flow between parallel plates. For this scenario, we assume steady, incompressible, laminar flow.
703
01:23Steady, Laminar Flow in Circular Tubes
857
Hagen-Poiseuille flow describes a viscous fluid's steady, incompressible flow through a cylindrical tube with a constant radius R. This flow profile is often applied to understand fluid transport in narrow channels, such as capillaries. It serves as a foundational example of laminar flow. In this model, cylindrical coordinates (r,θ,z) are used to describe the radial (r), angular (θ), and axial (z) dimensions within the tube. For Hagen-Poiseuille flow, the velocity profile is purely axial,...
857
01:07Laminar and Turbulent Flow
10.3K
Fluid dynamics is the study of fluids in motion. Velocity vectors are often used to illustrate fluid motion in applications like meteorology. For example, wind—the fluid motion of air in the atmosphere—can be represented by vectors indicating the speed and direction of the wind at any given point on a map. Another method for representing fluid motion is a streamline. A streamline represents the path of a small volume of fluid as it flows. When the flow pattern changes with time, the...
10.3K