Single nozzle micropump

Abstract

This project presents an investigation on Single-Nozzle Micropump. The new designs of the micropump consist of an acoustic resonator profile which acts as pumping chamber and flow rectification, a piezo-electric disk which serves as actuator, together with two glass tubes which are attached at two sides of the channels as inlet and outlet. The channel of the micropump is made of dry adhesive layers. Method of lamination of the dry adhesive layers with Polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA) is implemented in fabrication of the micropump. Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) analysis is used to perform flow visualization for the transient flow field inside the micropump chamber. The pump is operated in a range of driving frequency (20Hz- 80Hz) and two different actuating voltages (2.8Vpp and 7Vpp). The results of the flow visualization are compared to the results obtained from FLUENT simulations. It is found that the flow pattern T/4 (T is the period of the driving voltage) generates two big vortices accompanied by two small vortices. For time phase of 3T/4, the flow pattern generates two big vortices. On the other hand, for time phase of T/2 and T within one operating cycle, there is no vortex generated inside the chamber.