Thermal modeling and design analysis of a continuous flow microfluidic chip

► A three-dimensional, microfluidic heat transfer finite element model is developed. ► Joule heating and thermal crosstalk in the microfluidic chip is estimated. ► Thermal measurements are performed in a PDMS-glass microfluidic chip. ► Effect of flow rate and material properties on fluid thermal profile is studied. ► Mesh sensitivity and computational cost of the simulations are presented.