3D modeling of acoustofluidics in a liquid-filled cavity including streaming, viscous boundary layers, surrounding solids, and a piezoelectric transducer

Abstract

We present a full 3D numerical simulation of the acoustic streaming observed in full-image micro-particle velocimetry by Hagsäter et al., Lab Chip 7, 1336 (2007) in a 2 mm by 2 mm by 0.2 mm microcavity embedded in a 49 mm by 15 mm by 2 mm chip excited by 2-MHz ultrasound. The model takes into account the piezo-electric transducer, the silicon base with the water-filled cavity, the viscous boundary layers in the water, and the Pyrex lid. The model predicts well the experimental results.

Keywords

• microscale acoustofluidics
• acoustic streaming
• numerical simulation
• 3D modeling