Numerical and experimental study of Newtonian and non-Newtonian flow in a spiral viscous pump

The need to transport small volumes of viscous media is a vital part of microfluidic applications in biotechnology, chemistry and electronics. A novel Archimedean viscous micro-pump was developed in an attempt to achieve the precise and accurate delivery of fluid in a robust and industrially viable package. The pump consists of a two-disc system, where one is patterned with a spiral rectangular channel and the other is smooth and has a rate of rotation \( \Omega \) in order to pump the fluid. The width of the channel is variable along its length in order to achieve a constant local Reynolds number and avoid recirculation zones along the spiral, which is described $r = a + b \theta^{c}$, where \( r \) is the radius at the spiral centerline and \( \theta \) is the azimuthal angle. Numerical and analytical studies of the proposed model exhibiting a linear relationship between the flow \( Q \) and \( \Omega \) will be presented, as well as results from experiments with a simplified prototype supporting the analytical and numerical studies.