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In this paper, an in-plane reciprocating displacement micropump for liquids and gases which is actuated by a new class of electrostatic bending actuators is reported. The so-called “Nano Electrostatic Drive” is capable of deflecting beyond the electrode gap distance, enabling large generated forces and deflections. Depending on the requirements of the targeted system, the micropump can be modularly designed to meet the specified differential pressures and flow rates by a serial and parallel arrangement of equally working pumping base units. Two selected, medium specific micropump test structure devices for pumping air and isopropanol were designed and investigated. An analytical approach of the driving unit is presented and two-way Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) simulations of the micropump were carried out to determine the dynamic behavior. The simulation showed that the test structure device designed for air expected to overcome a total differential pressure of 130 kPa and deliver a flow rate of 0.11 sccm at a 265 Hz driving frequency. The isopropanol design is expected to generate 210 kPa and pump 0.01 sccm at 21 Hz. The device is monolithically fabricated by CMOS-compatible bulk micromachining processes under the use of standard materials only, such as crystalline silicon, silicon dioxide and alumina.
A contribution to the expansion of the applicability of electrostatic forces in micro transducers
(2017)
Liquid pumping induced by transverse forced vibrations of an elastic beam: A lubrication approach
(2018)
Two liquid pumps are investigated theoretically and numerically: a single thin liquid layer actuated by a periodic force at an elastic beam and a two-layer geometry actuated by an elastic beam. For the second geometry, the beam actuates the liquid from both sides. For both pumps, the liquid film thickness is small compared to the lateral characteristic length of the system. A lubrication theory is developed. The Euler-Bernoulli equation for transverse deformations of an elastic beam is coupled to the fundamental hydrodynamic equations: the Navier-Stokes equation and a continuity equation in the long-wave approximation. In this way, one connects the transverse displacement of the beam with the hydrodynamic quantities (pressure, velocity fields, and flow rates). Appropriate boundary conditions incorporate the function of the valves. The derivation of the theoretical model is followed by numerical simulations. We estimate flow rates (in two and three spatial dimensions) for different system parameters and we compute the efficiency of a well-designed liquid pump.