Optimization and evaluation of radially interconnected versus bifurcating flow distributors using computational fluid dynamics modelling.

Two main groups of flow distributors, viz. "bifurcating distributors" (BF) and "radially interconnected distributors" (RI), as well as some hybrid distributors were investigated. Computational fluid dynamics was used to evaluate the performance of the distributors and to establish the design yielding the most uniform velocity field and the smallest variance for the bands emerging from the distributor. A minimum channel width of 100 µm was considered to allow the use of micro-milling techniques for chip fabrication. The main factors that influenced the values of band variances were identified. The performance of the distributors was found to correlate most strongly with the volume of the flow distributors. The separation bed should be positioned immediately after, but not against the flow distributor. It was concluded that BF distributors perform best in terms of band variance. The values of band variances for the BF distributor decreased with increasing angle between bifurcation branches and the lowest value of about 0.01 mm(2) was found for α=175°. Both BF and RI flow distributors were found to perform reasonably well when imperfections were present in the structure. However, severe blockages (exceeding 75% of the cross-sectional area and length) of channels in, especially, BF flow distributors may jeopardize their performance.

Experimental study on band dispersion in channels structured with micropillars.

The band dispersion in channels with an orderly pillar structure with a pressure-driven liquid flow was determined. Several channels with different geometries were etched in a silicon wafer and enclosed by a glass wafer. The microchannels obtained had the same depth, pillar disposition, and overall porosity, but different pillar diameters and channel widths. The broadening of narrow bands of a fluorescent sample solution flowing through the channels was measured using a fluorescence microscope. It was shown that the peak dispersion occurring in the channels can be much lower than in conventional packed columns, as a consequence of the higher degree of order of the solid structure. Reduced plate heights of approximately 0.2 could be obtained for (nonretained) bands. No correlation was found between the aspect ratio (the ratio of the channel width and the pillar diameter) and band dispersion. The geometrical construction of the sidewall region was shown to play a critical role for channel performance. A good agreement was found with predictions for the optimal sidewall geometry obtained previously with simulation studies.