Modelling microfluidic flow and heat transfer in circular and elliptical channels in microstructure fibres

Abstract

Microfluidics are important micro-scale devices that can be used to manipulate very small volumes of fluids on the order of nano- to femto-litres. The control and sorting of nano-particles is a primary goal using this technology. There is particular interest in the use of microstructure optical fibres for the transfer of fluids, whereby the guided light interacts with a fluid in the region of the air-hole structure. We study the fluid transport capabilities of microstructure fibres with cross sections containing circular or elliptical holes, considering the effects of flow rates, fluid viscosity, and the channel diameter. The role of heat flux is considered in relation to the fluid characteristics. We solve the time-dependent Navier- Stokes equations and the convection-diffusion equation