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Analysis of combined pressure-driven electroosmotic flow through square microchannels

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Abstract

In this paper three-dimensional single-phase liquid flow through microchannels with a square-shaped cross-section driven by simultaneous application of pressure gradient and electroosmotic pumping mechanism is studied. The governing system of equations consists of the electric potential field and flow field equations. The solution procedure involves three steps. First, the net charge distribution on the cross-section of the microchannel is computed by solving two-dimensional Poisson–Boltzmann equation using the finite element method. Then, using the computed fluid’s charge distribution, the magnitude of the resulting body force due to interaction of an external electric field with the charged fluid particles is calculated along the microchannel. In the third step, the flow equations are solved by considering three-dimensional Navier–Stokes equations with an electrokinetic body force. The computations reveal that the flow pattern in the microchannel is significantly different from the parabolic velocity profile of the laminar pressure-driven flow. The effect of the liquid bulk ionic concentration and the external electric field strength on flow patterns through the square-shaped microchannels is also investigated.

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Abbreviations

D :

length scale

E y :

external electric field in the streamwise direction

e :

electron charge

H :

channel height

K b :

Boltzmann constant

L :

channel length

n 0 :

bulk ionic concentration

P :

pressure

v :

velocity component in the Y direction

W :

channel width

ε :

fluid dielectric constant

ε 0 :

vacuum permittivity

ρ e :

electric net charge density

μ :

fluid dynamic viscosity

λ :

ion valence

ξ :

zeta potential

ψ :

electric potential

Ψ :

non-dimensional electrokinetic potential

References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center of Excellence in Energy Conversion, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran

    Reza Monazami & Mehrdad T. Manzari

Authors
  1. Reza Monazami
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  2. Mehrdad T. Manzari
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Correspondence to Reza Monazami.

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Monazami, R., Manzari, M.T. Analysis of combined pressure-driven electroosmotic flow through square microchannels. Microfluid Nanofluid 3, 123–126 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10404-005-0065-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10404-005-0065-4

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