A bi-directional valveless piezoelectric micropump based on the Coanda effect

In this paper, the hydrodynamic characteristics of a piezoelectric micropump operate on the Coanda effect, and the mechanism of bi-directional pumping are analyzed by numerical simulation and experiments. The research focuses on the different positions of the fluid deflector and the influence on the output of the micropump. The results show that a closer fluid deflector to the inlet can produce greater vortices in the suction process due to the Coanda effect, and the backflow diminishing is more significant as well. Moreover, the different positions of the fluid deflector can cause a phenomenon that the micropump will achieve bi-directional pumping. As a finding, vortices arranged in pairs could improve the rectification efficiency of the micropump. The micropump achieves a maximum flow rate of 40.5 ml/min and back pressure of 5.76 cmH2o. In addition, the maximum flow rate per unit area can reach 305.2 µl/(min mm2).