• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
• /
• v.28 no.6
• /
• pp.682-687
• /
• 2004

Y-junction microchannels are widely used as a flew mixer. Fluids are entered from two branch channels and merged together at a combined channel. In this study, we suggest a simple method to create the fluid digitization using flow instability phenomena. Two immiscible liquids (water/oil) are infused continuously to each Y-junction inlets. Because of the differences in fluid and flow properties at the interface, oil droplet is formed automatically followed by flow instability. In order to clarify the hydrodynamic aspects involved in oil droplet formation, a quantitative flow visualization study has performed. Highly resolved velocity vector fields are obtained by a micro-PIV technique, so that detail flow structures around the droplet are illustrated. In this study, fluorescent particles were mixed with water only for visualization of oil droplet and velocity field measurement in water flow.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
• /
• v.10 no.4
• /
• pp.345-360
• /
• 2019

Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFC) is one of the leading advanced energy conversion technology for the use in transport. It generates water droplets through the catalytic processes and dispenses the water through the gas-flowed microchannels. The droplets in the dispensing microchannel experience g-forces from different directions during the operation in transport. Therefore, this paper reviews the computational modelling topics of droplet dynamics behaviour specifically for three categories, i.e. (i) the droplet sliding down a surface, (ii) the droplet moving in a gas-flowed microchannel, and (iii) the droplet jumping upon coalescence on superhydrophobic surface; in particular for the parameters like hydrophobicity surfaces, droplet sizes, numerical methods, channel sizes, wall conditions, popular references and boundary conditions.

• Journal of Advanced Marine Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.31 no.3
• /
• pp.272-281
• /
• 2007

A numerical simulation on nitrogen gas flow in a long parallel plate microchannel was performed to obtain the effect of compressibility and rarefaction on gaseous flow in microchannels. The simulation was based on steady. two dimensional compressible Navier-Stokes and energy equations with noslip and first order slip boundary conditions. The channel was $1.2{\mu}m$ deep and $3000{\mu}m$ long. The Reynolds numbers were in the range of order from $10^{-2}$ to $10^{-1}$. So the flow was assumed to be laminar. The computations were performed on various pressure ratios. The outlet pressure was fixed to atmospheric pressure. The outlet Knudsen number was 0.0585, consequently the flow was in the slip flow regime. The computations were performed with the assumption of isothermal channel walls. The results were compared with the experimental data. The agreement was good.

• 한국가시화정보학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2005.12a
• /
• pp.85-88
• /
• 2005

Experimental study has been conducted to evaluate characteristics of particle laden flows at the ratio of channel diameter to particle diameter (B = 14.9, 21.6 and 55). Particle velocities and radial concentrations are obtained using a microscope Nd:YAG laser and cooled CCD camera. Results show that there are relative velocities between the fluid and the particles at B = 14.9. It is also observed that the particles are accumulated at r=$0.5\∼0.82R$, with R being tile tube radius, and particle migration occurs at small Reynolds number, by comparing with the results obtained in macro scale. This gives optimal factors for designing microfluidic channels for cell or Particle separation, particle focusing, and so on.

• Proceedings of the Polymer Society of Korea Conference
• /
• 2006.10a
• /
• pp.189-189
• /
• 2006

The self-assembly of supramolecular dendrimers allows the rapid construction of nanosized structures with regularly ordered features that depend on the shape of the molecules and the relative strength of the intra-and intermolecular interactions. Here we report on a dramatic improvement in the degree of control and selectivity in the orientation of fan-shaped supramolecular molecules over a large area, which has been achieved by confined geometries and applied fields. The order and orientation of supramolecular dendrimers can be controlled by surface anchoring in confined geometries. POM, SEM, TEM, AFM and XRD results show that the molecules form the complicated defect-ordering in the microchannels with different feature sizes. We show that these defect domains are strongly influenced by the boundary and feature size of the surfaces. This technique can be used to create a grain size in the plane of the film that is much larger than that which can be achieved using previously reported soft-material based pattering.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
• /
• 2006.11a
• /
• pp.15-18
• /
• 2006

Recently, experimental visualization of microscale fluid transport has attacted considerable attention in designing microelectromechanical systems. Fluid-surface interactions on hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces can play a key role in passively controlling microfluidics. Here we investigate the slip boundary condition depending on the surface characteristics; hydrophilic, hydrophobic wettabilities. Using the micro-PIV, velocity profiles are measured in the glass (hydrophilic), PDMS (hydrophobic) microchannels.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
• /
• v.19 no.4
• /
• pp.285-290
• /
• 2007

This study has been numerically conducted to investigate the removal efficiency of Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) in photocatalytic micro-reactor. This study has placed emphasis on the improvements of the working condition of photocatalytic micro-reactor. The micro-reactor consists of 19 microchannels with a rectangular cross-section. For the validation of the current numerical study, a computation has been carried out to simulate an existing experimental study on the cylindrical reactor, which has shown a good agreement. The degradation characteristics with different inlet concentrations and velocities have been obtained. The current results can be used for the design of advanced photocatalytic micro-reactor.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
• /
• v.11 no.3
• /
• pp.179-186
• /
• 2006

End-Labeled Free-Solution Electrophoresis (ELFSE) is a new technique that is a promising bioconjugate method for DNA sequencing (or separation) and genotyping by both capillary and microfluidic device electrophoresis. Because ELFSE enables high-resolution electrophoretic separation in aqueous buffer alone (i.e., without a polymer matrix), it eliminates the need to load viscous polymer networks into electrophoresis microchannels. To achieve microchannel DNA separations with high performance, ELFSE requires monodisperse perturbing entities (i.e., drag-tags), which create a large amount of frictional drag when pulled behind DNA during free-solution electrophoresis, and which have other properties suitable for microchannel electrophoresis. In this article, the theoretical concepts of ELFSE and the required characteristics of the drag-tag molecules for the ultimate performance of ELFSE are reviewed. Additionally, the merits and limitations of current drag-tags are also discussed in the context of recent experimental data of ELFSE separation (or sequencing).

• 유체기계공업학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2006.08a
• /
• pp.305-308
• /
• 2006

For controlling micro-flows inside a LOC (lab-on-a-chip) a syringe pump or an electronic device for EOF(electro-osmotic flow) have been used in general. However, these devices are so large and heavy that they are burdensome in the development of a portable micro-TAS (total analysis system). In this study, a new flow control system employing pressure chambers, digital switches and speed controllers was developed. This system could effectively control the micro-scale flows inside a LOC without any mechanical actuators or electronic devices We also checked the feasibility of this new control system by applying it to a LOC of micro-mixer type. Performance tests show that the developed control system has very good performance. Because the flow rate in LOC is controlled easily by throttling the speed controller, the flows in complicate microchannels network can be also controlled precisely.

• 제어로봇시스템학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2001.10a
• /
• pp.178.6-178
• /
• 2001

Silicon-micromachined microneedle for a biofluid diagnosis system is developed. To fabricate microneedles, two sets of processes are used. One is making buried microchannels in silicon wafer using silicon isotropic etch with a SF6 plasma and then trench-refilling. The other is releasing the body of the microneedle by deep silicon etch. The microneedle has a 4 mm-length and about 12 $\mu\textrm{m}$ diameter buried microchannel, a 1.5 mm$\times$l.5 mm-area reservoir, and about 180 $\mu\textrm{m}$thickness body. Preliminary results indicate that microneedles are capable of flowing fluidic samples. The microneedle with a buried microchannel is expected to be integrated with in vitro diagnosis systems and microfluidic devices.