RUI: Electrohydrodynamic Flow in Microchannels

RUI：微通道中的电流体动力学流动

• 批准号: 0521845
• 负责人: Brian Storey
• 金额: $ 6.01万
• 依托单位: Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2005
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2005-09-01 至 2007-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0521845&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RUI; Electrohydrodynamic; Flow; Microchannels

Electrically driven flows with significant conductivity gradients are critical to a variety of on-chip assays such as field amplified sample stacking, isoelectric focusing, and electrophoretic assays where conductivities of various sample and buffer streams are either unknown or poorly controlled. In some applications, such as low Reynolds number microchannel mixing, the instability is desirable and in other applications, such as field amplified sample stacking (FASS) the instability is undesirable. The work performed under this grant will build upon the understanding of the basic instability mechanisms in regular flow channels and focus on developing new computational tools for evaluating electrokinetic flows in more complex and realistic geometries. The three main research thrusts are: (1) Performing high fidelity, direct numerical simulations (DNS) of electrokinetic flows in order to explore the statistics of the transport. These DNS will serve as a baseline comparison for more tractable and computationally efficient models, (2) Extending current numerical methods to include geometries other than simple channel flows using commercial finite element software, and (3) Optimization and control of mixing rates through AC electric fields, surface modification, or channel geometry. These combined mechanisms hold promise as a rapid, passive mechanism for low Reynolds number mixing. This research program will be implemented at the Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, a new undergraduate college, in which 44% of the students are female. A significant broader impact of this grant is direct involvement of these students in carrying out the research objectives. Undergraduate students will be involved in modifying the existing computational models, developing analysis and visualization tools for large sets of computational data, and helping to expand this research to new application areas using commercial finite element software. The project will also afford undergraduates the opportunity to experience research, and to enhance their interest in graduate study.

具有显著电导率梯度的电驱动流对于各种芯片上测定（例如场放大样品堆叠、等电聚焦和电泳测定）是关键的，其中各种样品和缓冲液流的电导率是未知的或控制不良的。在一些应用中，例如低雷诺数微通道混合，不稳定性是期望的，而在其他应用中，例如场放大样品堆叠（FASS），不稳定性是不期望的。 根据这项赠款进行的工作将建立在常规流动通道的基本不稳定机制的理解，并专注于开发新的计算工具，用于评估更复杂和现实的几何形状中的电动流动。 三个主要的研究方向是：（1）进行高保真，直接数值模拟（DNS）的电动流，以探索运输的统计。这些DNS将作为一个基线比较更易处理和计算效率高的模型，（2）扩展目前的数值方法，包括几何形状以外的简单通道流使用商业有限元软件，和（3）通过交流电场，表面改性，或通道几何形状的混合速率的优化和控制。这些组合机制有望成为低雷诺数混合的快速、被动机制。 这项研究计划将在富兰克林W。奥林工程学院，一所新的本科学院，其中44%的学生是女性。这项赠款的一个重要的更广泛的影响是这些学生直接参与实现研究目标。 本科生将参与修改现有的计算模型，开发大型计算数据集的分析和可视化工具，并使用商业有限元软件帮助将这项研究扩展到新的应用领域。该项目还将为本科生提供体验研究的机会，并提高他们对研究生学习的兴趣。