Heat transfer in a MEMS for microfluidics

Paper presents an 1D model for the heat transfer in a limited but significant region of an actuator–sensor structure for the determination of fluid and flow characteristics. As an essential step for the design of this structure, the usefulness of the model in the framework of the structure’s functionality is underlined. In the first part of the work, the main heat transfer mechanisms are detailed by qualitative and quantitative evaluations. The 1D model is derived from the heat rate balance of the region we are interested in. In the second part of the work, we compare the data obtained by simulating the 1D model with the experimental data. Also, some full 3D simulations of the fluid flow and heat transfer are made using a commercial software package. Part of these numerical results are compared with the corresponding experimental data. The modeling errors are discussed for both sets of comparisons. Finally, we comment the merits of the 1D model versus the 3D approach. The results obtained herein might be directly used for various thermally based actuators and sensors for flow control and measurement both in micro and macro world. © 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.