Flow-based characterization of the operation of a microfluidic amplifier

This article analyzes the performance of jet deflection microfluidic amplifiers implemented in silicon, using microchannels with a minimum hydraulic diameter of similar to40 mum. The implemented devices were characterized in terms of applications involving flow control and flow division. The implemented devices presented proportional or symmetrical behavior. For proportional control, high flow gains were obtained, similar to fluidic amplifiers with supply hydraulic diameters of hundreds of micrometers, being the average flow gain a function of supply flow. Numerical simulation analyses of the active part of the devices indicate the possibility of choked flow at the output of the supply nozzle.