Abstract
In this paper, we study an isothermal gas flow (Argon) through a rectangular microchannel with sudden change of section (expansion / contraction). For that, we used two approaches, analytical and numerical, both based on the Navier-Stokes equations, which allows us predicting the pressure driven mass flow rate in the hydrodynamic and slip flow regimes. The analytical approach is elaborated considering the hypothesis of Stokes. The numerical approach is performed using the software Ansys/ Fluent for compressible flow. In the slip regime, the boundary conditions on the wall were added in the Ansys/Fluent software. Both the analytical and numerical mass flow rates show a good agreement in the hydrodynamic and slip flow regimes. The obtained results indicate that the diodicity (the dependence of the mass flow rate from the direction on perfusion) depends on the position of the sections’ change in the microchannel, and it is of the order of 2 in our configuration.
Highlights
In the last decade, the microfluidic domain that outcomes from the MEMS (Micro-ElectroMechanical System) technology, showed a large expansion (Whitesides 2006)
The gas flow regime in micro size device is characterized by the Knudsen number, which is defined by the ratio between the molecular mean path and the characteristic length (h)
An analytical and numerical approach has been undertaken for compressible gas (Argon) on a microchannel with sudden change of section
Summary
The microfluidic domain that outcomes from the MEMS (Micro-ElectroMechanical System) technology, showed a large expansion (Whitesides 2006). Agrawal et al (2005) studied the compressibility and rarefaction effects for a gas flow through a rectangular microchannel with a sudden change of section using the method of Lattice-Boltzmann They demonstrated the presence of a discontinuity at that part related to the pressure drop in both flow direction (expansion / contraction) caused by the gas compressibility. An analytical and numerical investigation of gaseous flow through a rectangular microchannel with sudden change of section (expansion/ contraction) is undertaken based on the Navier-Stokes equation. These two approaches are developed in order to determine the mass flow rate, the diodicity, etc... These two approaches are developed in order to determine the mass flow rate, the diodicity, etc... and to understand the behavior of the flow in the hydrodynamic and slip regimes
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