MAGNETO-HYDRODYNAMIC FLUID FLOW SIMULATION TOOL

The presentation will give a report on the on-going project of enhancing a simulation tool for a magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) controlled fluid flow. Microfluid networks are complex systems [1]. To reduce circuit design time and save manufacturing costs an MHD fluid flow simulation tool was developed. The inner workings of MHD fluid flow are not straight-forward, for instance, the mechanism of current flow. The simulation tool hides these complexities from the user since all the user interacts with are the inputs and outputs. The system was built and tested primarily for the experiments carried out by Bau and his colleagues [2,3]. This was first conceived by Bau’s group as a teaching and demonstration tool for an undergraduate class. We worked primarily on the graphical user interface using MATLAB and carried out modifications on the algorithms such that the system now gives an average error rate of less than 5%. The simulation tool uses Graph Theory to analyse the fluid network. The tool operates on a design mode and a control mode. The design mode calculates the pressure drops and flow rates for a given set of voltages and currents. The control mode performs a reverse calculation to find currents and unknown pressure drops for a given set of flow rates. The simulated results are then compared to experimental results obtained by Bau, et al [2]. The algorithm behind the tool will be discussed and a demonstration of the system will be carried out with a brief summary of the theory. The flow rate, Q, of a conduit i, is related to the current I and voltage V through the following equations: