SAW-Induced Streaming in a Droplet – 3D Setup
Application ID: 139191
When a droplet is placed on a substrate on which surface acoustic waves (SAWs) are traveling, the energy of the SAWs is transferred into the droplet to form an acoustic field. The transferred energy is attenuated and generates a streaming flow. This type of streaming enables contactless mixing inside the droplet, which may be useful for microfluidics research in, for example, the pharmaceutical industry.
In this model, SAWs are generated using the Piezoelectric Effect multiphysics coupling, and their attenuation and contribution to the streaming are captured coupling Solid to Pressure Acoustics, Frequency Domain. The streaming flow is set up using the Acoustic Streaming Domain Coupling multiphysics feature.
The model is set up in 3D utilizing one symmetry plane. A nonconforming mesh is used using pair boundary conditions. The model is solved with an iterative method.
This model example illustrates applications of this type that would nominally be built using the following products:
however, additional products may be required to completely define and model it. Furthermore, this example may also be defined and modeled using components from the following product combinations:
The combination of COMSOL® products required to model your application depends on several factors and may include boundary conditions, material properties, physics interfaces, and part libraries. Particular functionality may be common to several products. To determine the right combination of products for your modeling needs, review the Specification Chart and make use of a free evaluation license. The COMSOL Sales and Support teams are available for answering any questions you may have regarding this.