Simulation-Based Analysis of 3D Flow Inside a Micropump With Passive Valves

It is expected that chemical, biological and environmental applications of microdevices will increase with new developments in micromachining techniques. In this work, a micropump design that utilizes passive valves and an actuated diaphragm is presented. The flow rate is controlled by the deflection and the frequency of the diaphragm’s displacement. Passive valves are used for directing the flow. Poiseuille flow analogy is used to generate the equivalent pressure drop and flow rate via modifying the viscosity in the valve-channel in order to replace the variation of the channel width due to valve movement. Overall flow in the micropump is governed by three-dimensional time-dependent Navier Stokes equations. Deformation of the domain due to moving boundaries that coincide with the diaphragm motion is handled with the arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian method. Flow rate, hydraulic power and the efficiency of the micropump are obtained with respect to driving frequency and displacement of the diaphragm.