Surface roughness is present in most of the microfluidic devices due to the microfabrication techniques or particle adhesion. It is highly desirable to understand the roughness effect on microscale flow. In this study, we developed a three-dimensional finite-volume-based numerical model to simulate pressure-driven liquid flow in microchannels with rectangular prism rough elements on the surfaces. Both symmetrical and asymmetric roughness element arrangements were considered, and the influence of the roughness on pressure drop was examined. The three-dimensional numerical solution shows significant effects of surface roughness in terms of the rough elements’ height, size, spacing, and the channel height on both the velocity distribution and the pressure drop. The compression-expansion flow around the three-dimensional roughness elements and the flow blockage caused by the roughness in the microchannel were discussed. An expression of the relative channel height reduction due to roughness effect was presented.
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September 2003
Technical Papers
Influence of Three-Dimensional Roughness on Pressure-Driven Flow Through Microchannels
Yandong Hu,
Yandong Hu
Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, 5 King’s College Road, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8, Canada
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Carsten Werner,
Carsten Werner
Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, 5 King’s College Road, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8, Canada
and Department of Biocompatible Materials, Institute of Polymer Research, Hohe Strasse 6, 01069 Dresden, Germany
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Dongqing Li
Dongqing Li
Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, 5 King’s College Road, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8, Canada
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Yandong Hu
Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, 5 King’s College Road, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8, Canada
Carsten Werner
Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, 5 King’s College Road, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8, Canada
and Department of Biocompatible Materials, Institute of Polymer Research, Hohe Strasse 6, 01069 Dresden, Germany
Dongqing Li
Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, 5 King’s College Road, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8, Canada
Contributed by the Fluids Engineering Division for publication in the JOURNAL OF FLUIDS ENGINEERING. Manuscript received by the Fluids Engineering Division Sept. 12, 2002; revised manuscript received Apr. 22, 2003. Associate Editor: T. B. Gatski.
J. Fluids Eng. Sep 2003, 125(5): 871-879 (9 pages)
Published Online: October 7, 2003
Article history
Received:
September 12, 2002
Revised:
April 22, 2003
Online:
October 7, 2003
Citation
Hu, Y., Werner, C., and Li, D. (October 7, 2003). "Influence of Three-Dimensional Roughness on Pressure-Driven Flow Through Microchannels ." ASME. J. Fluids Eng. September 2003; 125(5): 871–879. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.1598993
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