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http://dx.doi.org/10.3795/KSME-B.2006.30.2.110

A New Flow Control Technique for Handling Infinitesimal Flows Inside a Lab-On-a-Chip  

Han, Su-Dong (포항공과대학교 대학원 기계공학과)
Kim, Guk-Bae (포항공과대학교 대학원 기계공학과)
Lee, Sang-Joon (포항공과대학교 기계공학과)
Publication Information
Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B / v.30, no.2, 2006 , pp. 110-116 More about this Journal
Abstract
A syringe pump or a device using high electric voltage has been used for controlling flows inside a LOC (lab-on-a-chip). Compared to LOC, however, these microfluidic devices are large and heavy that they are burdensome for a portable ${\mu}-TAS$ (micro total analysis system). In this study, a new flow control technique employing pressure regulators and pressure chambers was developed. This technique utilizes compressed air to control the micro-scale flow inside a LOC, instead of a mechanical actuator or an electric power supply. The pressure regulator controls the output air pressure by adjusting the variable resistor attached. We checked the feasibility of this system by measuring the flow rate inside a capillary tube of $100{\mu}m$ diameter in the Re numbers ranged from 0.5 to 50. In addition, the performance of this flow control system was compared with that of a conventional syringe pump. The developed flow control system was found to show superior performance, compared with the syringe pump. It maintains automatically the: air pressure inside a pressure chamber whether the flow inside the capillary tube is on or off. Since the flow rate is nearly proportional to the resistance, we can control flow in multiple microchannels precisely. However, the syringe pump shows large variation of flow rate when the fluid flow is blocked in the microchannel.
Keywords
Lab-On-a-Chip(LOC); Pressure Regulator; Pressure Chamber; Solenoid Valve; Capillary Tube;
Citations & Related Records
Times Cited By KSCI : 1  (Citation Analysis)
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