Fluid-structure interaction and experimental studies of passive check valve based piezoelectric micropump for biomedical applications

Abstract

ABSTRACT The piezoelectric micropump can be a prominent component of drug delivery systems due to its high performance, low cost, and faster response. However, backpressure remains to be the most common problem in micropump technology. Thus, microvalves or the passive check valve based piezoelectric micropump can be used to prevent the backpressure. However, the complex structure of the passive check valve based micropump limits the investigations of Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) due to the intricate Multiphysics involved. This paper presents the investigations on the flow behaviour and performance of a passive check valve based piezoelectric micropump using numerical analysis. The simulation study comprising FSI depicts the performance of a piezoelectric micropump using a fluid-structure coupling, fluid selection, structural modelling, and piezoelectric equations. The simulation results illustrate the micropump performance characteristics such as piezoelectric actuator displacement, micropump flow rate, backpressure, and Von Mises stress. Experiments are conducted to validate simulation results by studying the effect of voltage and frequency on the micropump flow and pressure characteristics. The experimental study demonstrated that the passive check valve based piezoelectric micropump delivers a maximum flow rate of 32 ml/min at zero backpressure. The micropump can pump the fluid against maximum backpressure up to 35 kPa.