Internal pressure characteristics and performance features of the piezoelectric micropumps with the diffuser/nozzle and electromagnetic resistance

• Performance features of piezoelectric micro-pumps are investigated.
• Transient pressure in the chamber of the micro-pumps is examined.
• Micro-pumps with electromagnetic resistance and with diffuser/nozzle are compared.

A numerical analysis was conducted about the internal pressure characteristics and performance features of piezoelectric micropumps with the diffuser/nozzle and electromagnetic resistance, respectively, used for flow control. In this numerical analysis the transient pressure in the chamber of the micropumps with the diffuser/nozzle and electromagnetic resistance, respectively, was investigated and the influence of the pressure characteristics on the performance of the pumps was analyzed. The motion of the diaphragm, which functions as the actuator for the pumps, was implemented using the Prescribed Deformation Model together with the UDF (User Defined Function) and the Spring Based Smoothing Method. This numerical analysis found that the pressure in the chamber of the diffuser/nozzle-based micropump was about 10 times greater than that of the micropump with electromagnetic resistance when the pumping flow rates of the two different pumps are the same, and the shut-off pressure value of the diffuser/nozzle-based pump was more than 10 times greater than that of the electromagnetic resistance pump. This study showed that the internal pressure value of the pumping chamber of the piezoelectric micropump plays an important role in determining the shut-off pressure value of the pump.