Whitepaper flow resistivity testing

This whitepaper provides a protocol for testing of flow resistivity in microfluidic devices. The concept of flow resistance, also called hydrodynamic resistance or just microfluidic resistance, corresponds to the opposition that a fluidic element, like a channel, offers to a flow through it. 

Flow resistance is clearly one of the most important concepts to consider while designing a microfluidic circuit as it affects the operation conditions of the system. The calculation of the flow resistance of microfluidic devices is less accurate then of macroscale devices because the theoretical set of equations may not represent the reality; complex fluid paths, interaction with channel walls can be variables of influence and are difficult to model. In addition to that, it is likely that in parallel channel arrangement, the fluid does not always make a predictable flow distribution among the branches. This all leads to situations for which the theoretical set of equations will not represent the reality. Finally, accurate measurements of flow resistivity can help to get more fundamental understanding of the performance of the microfluidic device and can help to improve the design and/or providing opportunities for other applications.

 This whitepaper is published by the Microfluidics Association and based on the work within the EMPIR project MFMET - Establishing Metrology Standards in Microfluidic Devices.