Hydrodynamic Model for Microscale Flows in a Channel With Two 90° Bends

Many microfluidic devices require serpentine channels to allow longer contact length within a compact area. The necessity of understanding the physical laws governing these complicated small geometries is crucial for better design of practical microfluidic systems. At micro-scales the continuum assumption of standard Navier-Stokes equation is no longer valid as the mean free path of the fluid becomes comparable to the dimension of the system. A finite element based hydrodynamic algorithm has been developed recently for analyzing slip flows through two-dimensional micro geometries. This paper documents numerical results for gas flow through a micro-column with two sharp 90° bends. The results obtained show increase in slip effect for higher pressure ratios. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first such published report addressing microflow in this particular geometry.