Numerical study of electroosmotic micropump using Lattice Boltzmann method

In the present study, the effects of the Joule heating and viscous dissipation on the electroosmotic flow pattern has been investigated using the coupled momentum, Poisson-Boltzmann and energy equations by the Lattice Boltzmann method. The main objective of this research was to study the effects of temperature variations caused by the dissipative terms on the thermodynamic efficiency of electroosmotic pumps. The results showed that the Joule heating affects temperature-dependent properties via changing the temperature distribution of the micro channel. Meanwhile, it was observed that the thermodynamic efficiency predicted by the isothermal model, deviated substantially from that predicted by the non-isothermal model when the Joule heating is significant. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All, rights reserved.