Pneumatically Actuated Diaphragm Single Chamber Micropump

The analysis of a single chamber micropump with a diaphragm driven by a pulse train of external pressure and two passive check valves at inlet and outlet is performed. The model for the micropump is developed based on the fundamentals of fluid mechanics and theory of plates with quasi-static approximation. The simulation results are compared with existing experimental data. They are in good agreement on flow rate and in reasonable agreement on backpressure for low driving frequency up to 3 Hz. It is found that the flow rate increases as the driving frequency increases or the backpressure decreases. The results also predict that a duty cycle of 50% results in the highest flow rate at the same frequency and actuating pressure. Also, a higher actuating pressure yields a higher flow rate. The model presented here can effectively assist the design process of micropumps since the model is directly related to the basic design parameters such as geometric dimensions and material properties. Copyright © 2010 by ASME